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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25752058">A Collection of One-Shots</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceMayWrite/pseuds/AliceMayWrite'>AliceMayWrite</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarcastic_Soulmate/pseuds/Sarcastic_Soulmate'>Sarcastic_Soulmate</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Parks and Recreation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adorable Leslie Knope, Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Menstruation, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Pregnancy, Protective Ben Wyatt, Sad Ending</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:01:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>26,818</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25752058</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceMayWrite/pseuds/AliceMayWrite, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarcastic_Soulmate/pseuds/Sarcastic_Soulmate</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Essentially the title.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Andy Dwyer/April Ludgate, Ann Perkins/Chris Traeger, Leslie Knope/Ann Perkins, Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>149</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>79</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. After Hunting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ron says some horrible to things to Leslie when he thinks she shot him.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ron was utterly furious. That was made abundantly clear when he continued to throw a tirade of insults at Leslie as they packed the car.<br/>
And she put up with it, for some reason. Tom, who <em>actually </em>shot Ron, hadn’t come forward, and if Leslie learned anything in Girl Scouts, it was don’t be a snitch. She had learned that the hard way when she had caught Milly Miller (<em>her real name</em>) sneaking lollipops and, when she told the Camp Counsellor, Milly Miller dunked her head down the toilet for the next week.<br/>
It wasn’t that Tom was capable of dunking her. That was genuinely laughable. <em>But</em> she had a feeling she knew why he hadn’t come forward. He had done something stupid- not getting a hunting license was a huge offense, and she knew what her co-workers were like. Rightly or not, he would never hear the end of it. At least this way, he could owe her <em>big time </em>for the remainder of their working relationship. Was that mean?</p><p>Oh, who cares, because since she wouldn’t tell on him, <em>that</em> meant that she wasn’t hearing the end of Ron’s hurtful comments. And they were really quite hurtful for someone who was wrongfully accused.<br/>
“I don’t know why I ever trusted you to be deputy of my department,” Ron said loudly, prompting an eye roll from Donna as she went past. “Someone that bad of a shot isn’t worth having.”<br/>
“Are you done now?” Leslie heard Donna say. She was too busy shoving her bag into the boot of the car, ignoring how her eyes stung.<br/>
“Not hardly!” Ron barked back.<br/>
Leslie peeked around from the car and saw Ann talking avidly with Tom by the entrance to the cabin. Tom was shying away from her, and then Ann poked him in the chest. Leslie’s spirits lifted slightly. Beautiful Ann was looking out for her- hopefully this terrible day would finally turn around.</p><p>Leslie came around from the car, just in time for Ron to keep berating her.<br/>
“It’s utterly disgraceful, Knope! Next time we go on a group activity, I don’t think you’ll be invited.”<br/>
“What?” Leslie asked.<br/>
“You might shoot another person in the head and this time they won’t be as lucky as I was!”<br/>
“Ron-” Tom started, hurrying over. Ann ran after, looking dismayed.<br/>
“You’re the most irresponsible person I’ve ever met! I don’t think I can even call you my friend after this!”<br/>
<em>Silence.</em> Leslie swallowed a lump in her throat and looked down. Ron continued to stare daggers.<br/>
“Ron, I know you’re in pain-” Tom said slowly. “And I don’t want to add to that…”<br/>
Ann slapped him on the back of the head.<br/>
“Ow! Okay, well… <em>technically</em> it wasn’t Leslie who shot you. It was me.”<br/>
Ron stood up and looked at him. From behind Tom, Ann could see that there were probably a million different thoughts running through his head.<br/>
“I didn’t have a license,” Tom continued slowly. “And I didn’t want to get in trouble. I know it’d probably be jail time, so…”<br/>
“Are you kidding me?” Ron practically roared. “That’s insane!”<br/>
Ann stepped in. “It really was. And Leslie took the fall for him. So, can you stop being a <em>dick </em>to her and be a dick to the person who actually shot you?”<br/>
Ron patted Ann’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” He turned around. “Leslie, I’m so-”</p><p>Leslie wasn’t stood next to them anymore. The three of them glanced around, but she wasn’t nearby. Donna got out the car and walked over to them.<br/>
“If you’re looking for Leslie, I think she went into the woods after <em>he </em>shouted at her.”<br/>
“Why didn’t you stop her?” Ann asked, throwing up her hands.<br/>
“Y’all left me to pack the car! I don’t know where Mark and Jerry are, but they’re not here. Maybe they’ve gone to take a whizz or something, I don’t know.”<br/>
Ron buried his face in his hands. “That isn’t good.”<br/>
“You were being really harsh,” Ann spat as she moved around the car to scan the trees. <br/>
“I thought she <em>shot me, woman</em>!” Ron retorted as he moved to stand next to her.<br/>
“Still! She’s my best friend who didn’t rat out Tom and actually saved his ass!”<br/>
“She has a point,” Tom cut in as he slunk over to them. “But Ron, <em>please </em>don’t murder me.”<br/>
Ron looked for a second like he was <em>extremely </em>tempted, but instead he shook himself.<br/>
“It’s fine,” Ron said curtly. “I’ll go and find her- it’s my fault this happened.”<br/>
“That’s fair,” Tom said with a grin. Everybody turned to give him a dirty look.<br/>
“Scratch that, it’s <em>your </em>fault, but I’m going to fix it anyway because I’m a responsible adult.”<br/>
“Okay, <em>that’s </em>fair,” Tom whined slightly. He went to go sit in the car and Donna joined him.<br/>
Ann turned to Ron. “Do you want me to come with you?”<br/>
“No, you should stay here in case she comes back.”<br/>
Ann bit her lip. “Okay.”</p><p>***</p><p>Leslie sat on a tree stump and cried. Then she berated herself for crying. She was a strong and powerful woman, and she was crying because Ron said he didn’t want to be her friend?<br/>
It was so unfair. Why couldn’t Tom have just got a license in the first place, so she didn’t have people thinking she <em>shot </em>somebody?! It was utterly humiliating. And she didn’t think she had ever seen Ron that angry before- and she hated the fact that it was at her.<br/>
She was broken out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps approaching. She looked up and, sure enough, Ron was moving through the woods towards her. Leslie silently cursed how bright her outfit was. All she had wanted to do was cry for two hours and then move on with her life. Was that too much to ask?</p><p>He stopped just shy of a metre away from her.<br/>
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you were taking the fall for Tom.”<br/>
Leslie wiped her eyes furiously. “Well, yeah.”<br/>
Ron moved to stand awkwardly next to her. “You did the right thing. You saved Tom’s ass.”<br/>
Leslie didn’t reply, she just put her head in her hands. Ron rubbed his face, stressed.<br/>
“I didn’t mean it when I said you were irresponsible. Or that you couldn’t be my- be my friend. I don’t think that would be true even if you <em>did </em>shoot me.”<br/>
Leslie laughed shakily before looking up at him. “I know. It’s because you’re in pain. Because Tom shot you.”<br/>
She stood up and Ron patted her shoulder. She went in for a full hug, and he hesitated for a second. Leslie thought he wouldn’t, but then he was squeezing her back. When she pulled away, she gave him a teary smile.<br/>
“I’m sorry,” he repeated.<br/>
“I know. Now let’s go home so someone can fix the back of your head.”<br/>
Ron harrumphed. “Agreed. I love the back of my head.”<br/>
Leslie laughed loudly. “I know!”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Not Sneaky</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie is hiding something and Ben needs to get to the bottom of it. It's not that hard, because she is not good at being sneaky.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Someone please remind me why I wrote this. Oh, right, cause I need mental help and I care too much about fictional romances.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leslie shifted in her sleep in Ben's bed, but felt a shooting pain in her lower stomach. She jolted awake, and scooted over to notice a red stain on his sheet. She slowly pulled Ben's arm away from her hip, and nervously stood up to analyze the situation.</p><p>This happened before with an old boyfriend, and he wasn't very understanding. In fact, he seemed a bit annoyed, but Leslie was in pain and cranky and sad, so she felt more like crying than fighting with him about it. Now she just avoids the subject entirely when she can, which isn't always easy. </p><p>She's not ashamed of it, she's just too exhausted when it happens to deal with people getting annoyed about it.</p><p>Leslie paced the room before she remembered that she should probably go to the bathroom. She reached for her purse, and breathed a sigh of relief when she found one tampon in it.</p><p>In the bathroom she realized she had bled on her pants, but it was fine. She just needs to find some kind of stain cleaner for the bed. </p><p>//</p><p>She should have known April and Andy don't have anything as responsible as a stain remover.</p><p>Ok, this isn't a big deal. Is there bleach somewhere? </p><p>Maybe she could get the sheet off the bed and into the wash. Wait, Ben is in the bed. How would that work? </p><p>This would be so much easier if they were at her house. Even though she has too much stuff, at least she doesn't have too little of anything and she isn't missing any important items. </p><p>Ben wakes up somewhere during her endless mental tirade. "Leslie?" He says groggily. </p><p>She immediately jumps back onto the bed to cover up the stain. "Hmm?" </p><p> He frowns at the leap she made to the bed. "Mind explaining why you just did that?" </p><p> "Ummm... I..." This isn't convincing or helpful. "... do mind actually." </p><p> "Leslieeeeeee." He whines. </p><p> "Beeeeeeeeen." </p><p> "Okay, well, do you want breakfast?" He stands up and reaches for her hand. Leslie hesitates. </p><p> "Leslie, you are not good at being sneaky. What's going on?" </p><p> "Nothing! What makes you think something is going on?" And why is her voice getting so loud, for that matter? "And I am excellent at being sneaky." </p><p> "No you're not. More importantly, you not jumping up in excitement at the mention of breakfast is a big one." He slowly comes to realize she has been frozen in place for a while. Ben attempts to gently pull her off the bed and she freezes again, a pained look on her face. </p><p> "Leslie, what did you-" He finally manages to move her a couple inches and pauses. "Oh." </p><p> "I'm sorry!" She exclaims, loudly. </p><p> April knocks on the wall they share. "You two shut up!" Damn, she's grouchy. Must not be a morning person, though it's not all that surprising. </p><p> "Leslie, it's not a big deal." Ben says after he stops staring at the wall in horror of other things they possibly heard. </p><p> "It isn't?" </p><p> "Of course not." He says, bewildered. </p><p> "Are you sure?" </p><p> "Yeah... Leslie, what's going on?" Ben feels like a broken record asking that question, but he needs to know she's okay. He wants to protect her and always make her feel happy, but she shouldn't be so hesitant to tell him stuff. That seems out of character for her, she's usually pretty open. </p><p> "I was with some people who weren't very... tolerant of the whole thing." She feels another cramp, and clutches her stomach, and Ben's heart breaks at the sight of her in pain. </p><p> "What 'whole thing?'" He says, reaching for her hand again, Leslie finally taking his. </p><p>She gives him a pointed look. </p><p> "No, I mean, why is it a 'whole thing?' It's not your fault." He steps closer to her and kisses her gently on the forehead.</p><p> "Do you really mean that?" </p><p> "Of course. Back to my question. Do you want breakfast?"</p><p> She finally jumps up in excitement, and he drops his forehead to hers. </p><p> "Thank you, Ben."</p><p> "Anytime. When are you going to learn you're not sneaky?" </p><p> "Never!" </p><p> He fake gasps. "So you admit it?" </p><p> "NEVER!" She leans into him as he opens the bedroom door for her. </p><p> Before Ben can reply, a loud and painful-sounding groan comes from April and Andy's bedroom.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Might write a part 2 to this sometime.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Nightmare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie has a nightmare. Ben is there to help.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>What does it feel like to know that all your friends are gone? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>No, it’s fine. It’s fine. Leslie knew it was fine.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You’re totally alone- and without your friends, you’re nothing.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m Leslie Knope!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Even Ben is gone. He knew you were worthless.</em>
</p><p>It was strange. Leslie could feel the pressure pushing down on her like someone was stepping on her chest and crushing it. She was dreaming- she hoped so anyway. Staring into the abyss and feeling the utter hopelessness leaking out. She was totally alone. <br/>Where was Ron when she needed him? Oh god, even Ron wasn’t here. The darkness was swallowing her up.</p><p>
  <em>You are totally alone- and without your friends, you’re nothing.</em>
</p><p>***</p><p>Leslie gasped awake. She took some deep breaths, both of them catching in her throat. Before she could make another move, however, she felt Ben leap up beside her. He quickly helped her sit up, and even just the touch of his hands on her body made her feel ten times better.<br/>“Deep breaths,” he instructed. “Did you have a nightmare?”<br/>“Yeah,” Leslie replied. “Ugh it was awful.”<br/>Ben hummed beside her, and for a while all they did was wait for Leslie to calm down. When she did, she brought her hand up to her face. She had been crying.  He noticed too, and slowly wiped her tears, pausing occasionally to give her kisses. She felt her heartrate slowing. He was such a calming presence when he wanted to be.<br/>“Do you want to talk about it?” Ben murmured. <br/>“Not yet,” Leslie replied. “Can we just… lie for a minute?”<br/>“Of course,” Ben replied instantly, and he wrapped his arms around her in a protective embrace. She sighed softly.</p><p>***</p><p>It was strange. Usually dreams faded within minutes of waking up, but this one stuck in her mind. It was especially strange since the dream didn’t even make sense- it was an intense feeling rather than a sequence of events, and Leslie hated that she couldn’t systematically work through it. <br/>In her eyes, any problem could be solved. But it was a lot harder when it wasn’t at all clear what she was looking at. <br/>“Your thoughts are loud,” Ben said softly. “What are you thinking?”<br/>“I’m just… confused,” she said slowly. “The dream didn’t even make sense, I just… I felt so alone.”<br/>“You’re not alone,” he said. “Not ever.”<br/>“I know,” Leslie said, and she believed it. Even if the dream had seemed real, she really wasn’t alone. She was one of the least lonely people on the planet.<br/>“Good, I’m glad,” Ben said quietly, kissing her again. “Do you think you’ll be able to go back to sleep?” <br/>With his arms around her? Definitely. “Yes.”</p><p>And so they fell back to sleep. Together.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. "That's Something." ("Yeah, it is.")</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>April and Andy are in the park relaxing when someone from Andy's past shows up.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Keep in mind I have issues. ~ Sarcastic_Soulmate</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>April and Andy were minding their own business in Ramsett Park, sleepily leaning against each other when a woman came up to them and started talking. </p>
<p> "Andy Dwyer? Is that you?" </p>
<p> Andy looked up to see a tall, skinny blonde with big green eyes. </p>
<p> "Susan?"</p>
<p> April woke up and glared at Susan. </p>
<p>Susan was a little stunned at April's threatening gaze, but she turned back to Andy. </p>
<p> "Yes, it's me! It's been too long!" </p>
<p> "I guess it has." </p>
<p> Susan looks around, her eyes circling back to April. "And who is this?" </p>
<p> "This is my wife, April. We got married last year."</p>
<p> Susan's happy expression visibly dampens a little at this news. "Oh... well. That's something."</p>
<p> Andy smiled proudly. "Yeah, it is." </p>
<p>Susan pulls out a card and pen and starts writing something. "If you ever want to..." Her gaze flickers back to April for a moment and then back to him, " ...catch up, here's my number."</p>
<p>She hands him the card and Andy hesitates but takes it.</p>
<p> "I got to run. But call me sometime, alright?" </p>
<p> "Maybe." </p>
<p> Susan quickly walks away to her car, and April finally sits herself up. "Who was that?" </p>
<p> "Girl from high school. We dated for a little bit. I can't remember her last name." </p>
<p> "Oh. Did she break your heart? Can I go murder her?" April grins, already forming a plan. </p>
<p> "We just kind of drifted apart. Do you know what that means? I've heard a lot of people say that about people just losing touch or something. Did I use it right?" </p>
<p> April smiles and rolls her eyes. "Yes you did, Andy." </p>
<p> "Nailed it."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Flu Season</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After Leslie's speech when she dosed up on flu medicine, Ann's annoyed.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“There you are!”<br/>
Tom dragged Leslie by the arm into the hospital ward and was greeted by an <em>incredibly </em>exasperated Ann Perkins. Tom put on his best smile.<br/>
“Aw! Were you waiting for me, Ann?”<br/>
It only hurt a little when she totally ignored him and put all her focus into Leslie, who was currently trying to catch “thousands of tiny fireflies in the air.”<br/>
“Yeah,” Tom continued. “I think her brain is melted. She took all the medication.”<br/>
“<em>I know</em>,” Ann said, shining a light into Leslie’s eyes and making her groan. “She stole it from April and Chris to go to that stupid meeting.”<br/>
“What time is the meeting?” Leslie asked, pushing away from Ann to turn to look at Tom. “Do we have time to get some fresh socks from my house first?”<br/>
Tom followed behind Ann as she took Leslie’s arm, leading her back into the hospital room. Leslie sat on the bed and Ann took her temperature. She looked like she was about to snap in half from the stress.<br/>
“Err… boo-boo? You actually did the meeting already,” Tom reminded Leslie.<br/>
“I did?”<br/>
“Yeah and you actually crushed it.”<br/>
Ann froze, before looking at Tom in confusion. “She did?”<br/>
“Yeah! I don’t know what to tell you, but she did. Ben was really impressed.”<br/>
Leslie promptly bent over to vomit on the floor, so that was when Tom dashed off.</p><p>***</p><p>The vomit was cleaned up. Leslie apologised multiple times, and it actually made Ann a little irritated.<br/>
"I'm not annoyed about the vomit."<br/>
"What then? You're all..." Leslie gestured wildly with her hand, giggling a little.<br/>
Ann frowned. “Okay, you do realise that if you try and escape again this time it’ll genuinely hurt my feelings? And you stole poor Chris’ medicine! And April’s! Who I don’t like at the moment but still, she’s very sick and you took her medicine away. Do you understand how bad that is?”<br/>
Leslie blinked up groggily at Ann as she tucked her into the bed. “Yes. I think I understand.”<br/>
Ann chuckled. “How many heads do I have?”<br/>
“Four.”<br/>
Leslie was now back in hospital scrubs and actually getting rehydrated with fluids. Ann had no idea how she managed to keep it together for that meeting but honestly, sometimes she thought that Leslie was some kind of magical creature. Any normal person would have collapsed, or just melted.<br/>
“I’m sorry I ran away,” Leslie said, catching Ann’s expression. “I just <em>needed</em> to.”<br/>
“You didn’t need to,” Ann replied, feeling her forehead. “You put yourself at risk.”<br/>
Leslie sat back, suddenly feeling very tired. Ann caught that, so she went and turned off the light.<br/>
“Love you Ann,” came the quiet, sad voice from the bed.<br/>
Ann rolled her eyes. “Love you too. But you’re a pain in the ass.”</p><p>***</p><p>The next time Ann went to check up on Leslie, that lanky Ben was just leaving.<br/>
“Oh, hi!” he said, smiling. Ann smiled back.<br/>
“Hey! What’s got you in such a good mood?”<br/>
Ben squirmed. “Oh! Well, Leslie did a great job at the meeting. I did try and get her to go back to hospital but-”<br/>
“-but she openly refused and sometimes it’s easier to just go along with it? I feel that.”<br/>
The two of them smiled at each other.<br/>
“I brought her some soup. She preferred the waffles, but hopefully she’s going to eat it at some point.”<br/>
“That’s really nice of you,” Ann said. “I’d better check on her, although she isn’t my favourite patient at the minute. Granted, she isn’t my <em>least favourite </em>either.”<br/>
“She’s a comfy middle,” Ben said with a laugh. “Anyway, I’d better run. See you later!”<br/>
“Bye!” Ann watched him leave, a confused smile on her face. This guy was nice, if a little awkward.</p><p>She entered the room to see Leslie just finishing off the waffles. Ann laughed inwardly at the fact that the soup was practically untouched. Leslie perked up at the sight of her.<br/>
“Hi!”<br/>
“Hey.”<br/>
“Listen, I know you’re annoyed at me for not doing what you said. I’m sorry.”<br/>
“I’m annoyed at you because you put yourself in danger,” Ann replied, a stern look on her face.<br/>
“I don’t really care about stuff that though, to be honest,” Leslie told her. "Danger... stuff."<br/>
“It’s not like you ever do what I say anyway,” Ann spat, and instantly regretted it, partially because Leslie was her best friend, but also because she was on duty, and if she could keep it together for April, she should <em>really </em>be keeping it together for Leslie. But it was sort of different with her.</p><p>Leslie didn’t reply right away. She moved position in the bed so she was sitting up totally and fixed her with a sad look.<br/>
“Ann, you should know that I take your advice totally to heart. I would only not do it if I totally disagreed. You should also know three other things. One- I love you more than anyone, ever. Two-work comes before my own happiness but should never come above yours. So I’m sorry.”<br/>
Ann grimaced. “It comes above your happiness? That’s a terrible rule.”<br/>
“But work makes me happy, so it all evens out in the end!”<br/>
“And what was the third thing?” Ann asked. Leslie frowned.<br/>
“What?”<br/>
“You said I needed to know three things.”<br/>
“Oh…” Leslie frowned. “Maybe it was that the room is twisting into many different shapes. But it’s actually sort of pretty, so I don’t mind.”<br/>
“Leslie,” Ann said as she checked her temperature. It had gone down, that was good. She was probably still dealing with the after-effects of the medicine overdose. “You legitimately scared me before.”<br/>
Leslie sighed. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”<br/>
“Is that so you won’t scare me or because you realise you need to take care of yourself?”<br/>
“I don’t need to answer that question, I’m sick.”<br/>
Ann rolled her eyes for what felt like the thousandth time that day. “Well, you’re doing better. <em>Do not </em>take that as a reason to leave.”<br/>
“I won’t! I have work here.”<br/>
“You actually don’t. I found it under the bed and hid it.”<br/>
Leslie grinned for the first time the whole conversation. “Ann! You devious bastard!”<br/>
“Will you just do as I say?”<br/>
“I will.”<br/>
The two women smiled at each other. Ann reached over to pat Leslie’s arm.<br/>
“Hey. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”<br/>
“Thanks, Ann," Leslie said with a yawn.<br/>
Ann moved to shut the curtains. "So what's the deal with you and Ben?"<br/>
She turned around, but Leslie was already asleep. Ann sighed slighty, a soft smile on her face.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Stupid Pregnancy Brain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie accidentally deletes some important work and Ben is there to help. Set during her pregnancy, post-season 6, and pre-season 7.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Loosely based on not too long ago when I was working on a fic and Google docs deleted half of it... lol.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben kept telling her that she needed to take a break from work, but Leslie wouldn't listen. She couldn't. Pregnancy was hard, painful, debilitating, and humiliating how she couldn't seem to do one thing herself. She needed something she could do. </p><p>Leslie knew Ben didn't mind helping her and making her feel comfortable, it's what they've been doing for each other for their entire relationship. But the pregnancy self-pity and guilt and hormones didn't help anyone.</p><p>So she continues typing up her document, almost done, almost ready to be emailed. She shifts around on the bed, as a sharp cramp goes through her body and leaves her in shivers, the laptop sliding from her lap to the bed.</p><p>This position isn't bad. She could feel herself drifting off...</p><p>No. Work time. Leslie sits up.</p><p>She looks to her laptop. The document is blank. What? </p><p>"Crap on a cracker." She mumbles.</p><p>She frantically reaches for it and freaks out, tapping keys, numbers, symbols, trying to figure out what happened. </p><p>Oh, wait. There's probably some kind of undo button. </p><p>Leslie's eyes scan quickly over the screen for it, but can't seem to find it anywhere. Pregnancy brain maybe? Ugh. Where the hell is it?</p><p>Leslie starts running her hands through her hair in her stressed state, and slides back down to her comfortable position on the bed. Only this time that wasn't what mattered. </p><p>As the sheets filled with the wetness of her sobs, she heard a presence in the doorway. And then a voice. </p><p> "Honey? Oh my God, what happened?" He rushes to her side at the bed, running his hands through her hair and gently pulling her up into a seated position.</p><p> Sweet Ben. Whenever she freaks out about something small, he never makes her feel like she's being silly. </p><p>She couldn't hide it, as much as she wanted to. "I-I was trying to-" She hiccups. "-write s-s-something and it deleted, and I-" She hiccups again. "-can't find it." Her voice cracks many times through her nervous stutter of an explanation, and she sobs even more. </p><p>"Do you want help?" Ben makes sure to ask, remembering Chris' warning about solving all her problems for her and not listening to what they actually were. So far, Leslie didn't seem to have any complaints about that specifically, so he's doing well. It's been hard, though, the sight of her in tears breaks his heart. </p><p>"Y-y-yes please." She stares into his brown eyes, hers wide and blue, and he couldn't resist her even if he wanted to. So he gives her a quick kiss on the forehead and sits on the bed with her.</p><p>"So how did you delete it?" He asked, making his voice as casual as possible. But he's Ben Wyatt, Human Disaster. Those kind of skills don't come easy. </p><p>Leslie sobs again, but tries to compose herself. "The computer just slid off me, and then I laid down for a second, and when I came back up, it was just gone. In a matter of seconds. And I can't find the DAMN BUTTON to fix it."</p><p> Her voice only cracked a few times in that explanation, but the sadness turned to pure anger when she brought up the button. Yikes. He forgot about the mood swings for a second. </p><p>His adorable, sexy wife was 5 months pregnant, and she didn't want to admit to the exhaustion, insecurity, and uselessness that she felt. She's yelled and cried about everything lately, and he doesn't blame her. It doesn't bother him, she's doing all the hard work of keeping their children alive and bringing them into the world, he's actually glad to get caught in the crossfire. </p><p>Problem was, he already found how to fix her document, but would that make her feel bad? 'Not at the moment,' he thought, 'she probably just wants it back.' </p><p>So he took a risk and fixed it, smiling as Leslie's face went from stressed, to confused, to excited. </p><p>Leslie grins adorably, and attacks Ben's face with kisses. He gladly returns them, revelling in the fact that Leslie was happy again, and it was because of him. </p><p>"Stupid pregnancy brain." She mutters into his mouth and he smiles, their teeth bumping together haphazardly. </p><p>But he wouldn't have it any other way.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Another Nightmare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ben has a nightmare. Leslie always knows what to do.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i love these cuties so much</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben jolted awake, covered in sweat. He let out a moan of protest, but then Leslie’s arms were around his back and she was kissing his neck gently.<br/>“Are you okay?” she asked him. <br/>Ben took a deep breath. “I think so- just a nightmare.”<br/>Leslie made a noise of sympathy, pulling the duvet back a little and helping him sit up. Once he was up, she switched the beside lamp on. <br/>Ben didn’t miss the way she looked at him- there was so much love in her eyes, and he had to smile at her, even though his heart was racing. <br/>Leslie yawned into the back of her hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”<br/>Ben bit his lip. “Are you sure? You need to be up in a few hours, I wouldn’t want to interrupt your sleep.”<br/>Leslie gave him a soft look. “Honey, you’ve been dating me for two years now. You should know better than anybody that I see sleep as a bonus.”<br/>Ben rolled his eyes fondly. “That’s not a good thing.”<br/>“What I’m saying is that I don’t mind. You’re clearly freaked out.” She paused. “Unless you don’t want to talk about it and would rather sleep, I’m fine either way. Whatever makes you happy.”</p><p>“Can I talk?”<br/>Leslie nodded and opened her arms, and the two of them lay back down with Ben in her arms. He loved being held by her- it was one of the best feelings in the world. They looked at the ceiling. With the dim light of the lamp on, the room was bathed in an orange glow. <br/>“I… I think I was lost somewhere. All I know is that there were people yelling at me, but I didn’t know where I was. It might have been about Ice Town, or maybe people yelling at me because of an audit… either way, everyone hated me, and…” he trailed off. Leslie didn’t miss the little shake of his voice at the end of the sentence. She hummed at him.<br/>“Poor Ben.” She squeezed him tighter.<br/>“Yeah…”<br/>“Well, I know for a fact nobody here hates you. And no matter what people might have said to you in the past, they were all idiots. Who could ever hate you? You’re my favourite person in the world.”<br/>“Aside from Ann?” Ben asked with a chuckle. <br/>“I wasn’t going to mention her so as to not upset you, but yes. Although, you’re on top.”<br/>She said that through gritted teeth, and Ben laughed. “Honey, I know you love me. Don’t worry.”<br/>Leslie grinned at him. “Ha! You know I love you! Well everyone else loves you too!" </p><p>Ben chuckled again. “Thanks, babe.”<br/>“They really do,” she said, a little quieter. “And I know those people were terrible to you, but things are different now. If anyone ever did anything to be mean to you, I’d punch them in the face like when you punched that guy in the bowling alley.”<br/>“That was pretty cool,” Ben agreed. <br/>“It was <em>so cool</em>!” She leaned down to kiss his head. “You’re the best, Ben Wyatt.”<br/>“Thank you, babe. So are you.”<br/>He felt a lot calmer now. Talking to Leslie about his issues was always the right decision, because she always knew what to say. He breathed out slowly, and Leslie knew that meant he was feeling better. She turned off the light, and the two of them snuggled down together.<br/>“I love you,” Leslie whispered, and Ben felt his heart soar.<br/>“I love you too. Thank you.”<br/>“Any time.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. My Thoughts Exactly</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ann is insecure about her post-baby body. Chris comforts her.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Honestly I love Ann and Chris. They're really fun to write.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ann gave her reflection in the mirror a chastising look. She knew she should cut herself some slack. She just had a baby 6 weeks ago, no one could blame her for not looking like a bombshell. But that didn't make her feel any better. </p><p>Her mom told her it was the norm, and she knew it, but deep down, maybe she had a mentality that it was going to be different for her. </p><p>She still had about 15 pounds of baby weight to lose, not to mention the old stretch marks and sagging skin on her stomach. </p><p>Ann pulled her baggy shirt back down over her body, not being able to take any more.<br/>

</p>
<p> She could always call Leslie for reassurance, but she didn't know if she wanted it. Ann just wanted to go back to the way she was. </p><p>It didn't make sense before she had her baby, and it didn't make sense now. Obviously there were going to be a lot of differences. She just hated that that fact applied to her new body. </p><p>She pulls her hair into a messy bun and walks out of the bathroom. Chris is on the ground doing pushups, a mild sweat glistening his skin, his muscles evident against his royal blue jogging shirt. Ann flops onto the bed and groans.</p><p>Here she was, feeling disgusting and horrible, and he looked better every day. It's just not fair.<br/>
</p><p> Chris heard the noise and sat up on the ground, looking over at his girlfriend with concern. </p><p>"You okay?" </p><p>"Yep. Great." Ann said, muffled against the pillow. </p><p>"Are you sure?" </p><p>"Yeah. If we don't count my disgusting stretch marks, I'm fine." </p><p>Chris winces at her self-deprecation. "Ann Perkins, how can you say that? You have LITERALLY never looked more beautiful than you do right now."</p><p>"Not a compliment." She replied shortly.</p><p>He stand up to sit on the bed next to her. "What's going on?" </p><p>"Besides the whole 'I'm-fat-and-disgusting' thing?"</p><p>"Ann." </p><p>He only called her by her first name if he was sad or disappointed. When he was ecstatic (which was honestly most of the time) you could tell in the way he spoke to her and everyone else.</p><p>"Ugh, fine. I'm a slob and you're seriously exercising right now and you look better than ever."</p><p>"You know that's not true. Give yourself a break, you just had a baby." </p><p>"Will that still be an excuse a year from now? 5 years from now? 'Cause it doesn't seem like I'm going to change anytime soon." </p><p>"Well, there are going to be permanent changes. We won't get to be alone as often as we'd like, and we won't have time to do whatever we want. We won't get to have a good sleep for a long time.  There's going to be a whole new person in our physical and emotional proximity for at least 18 years, and they'll rely on us for support. Maybe your body isn't what it used to be. But you'll bounce back soon and maybe you won't look exactly the same, but you'll be even more beautiful than ever. You did all the hard work on bringing Oliver into the world, give yourself a break." He kisses her hair. </p><p>Ann sits up and sniffs. "Really?" </p><p>"Of course, Ann Perkins! And honestly, if you could, would you change any of this?" </p><p>"No! Of course not. Then we wouldn't have Oliver." </p><p>"There you go, then." </p><p>Chris pulls Ann into his lap lovingly, and she lays her head on his chest. Poor girl, she did all the work carrying their child and keeping him alive; he'll help her and their child feel better in any way he can. </p><p>After a few minutes of silence, Ann pipes up. </p><p>"You're the best baby daddy in the world." </p><p>"So are you." </p><p>Ann pulls her head up suddenly. "I'm the best baby daddy?" She raises an eyebrow. </p><p>Chris laughs, loudly. "No, you're the best baby mama." </p><p>"Alright." Ann giggles, and a loud high-pitched cry sounds from the other room.</p><p>"Not again!" Ann says, hiding a smile but failing, as Chris gently pushes her off his lap to go get Oliver. </p><p>"I'll do it." He says. </p><p>"Bring him with you so we can all cuddle together."  </p><p>"My thoughts exactly, Ann Perkins!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. I Could Never Forget You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie and Ann chat about Ann's plans to leave Pawnee.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this episode always makes me really sad</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leslie had been unhappy all day, and her friends had all called her crazy. She didn’t think it was crazy- her <em>best friend </em>was thinking of leaving! She was acting perfectly rationally!<br/>Ron was the one, as usual, to talk her out of her insane tirade, but it didn’t stop her from feeling the horrible pain twisting in her gut. She wasn’t acting crazy anymore, but she was still desperately sad. <br/>She swallowed that down, though. She thought of what she was going to say to Ann, and she practiced it over and over again.<br/>When Ann appeared in her office door, Leslie gave her a sad smile. Ann smiled back. At the heart of it all, they understood each other. Ann knew that this would break Leslie’s heart. And deep down, deep <em>deep </em>down, Leslie knew that if Ann wanted to do it, she would never stop her. <br/>That was the energy both women took to their conversation.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Leslie said straight away. “I was acting crazy today.”<br/>“It’s alright,” Ann replied. “I know you didn’t mean it.”<br/>“I was being selfish.”<br/>“Well…”<br/>“No, Ann. Don’t rush to my defense- I <em>was </em>being selfish.”<br/>Ann quirked the corner of her mouth up in a smile. She was <em>actually</em> going to agree with her, but decided to stay quiet.<br/>“If you decide to leave Pawnee, I’ll support you. And your new best friend will love you so much.”<br/>Ann frowned. “Hey! Who said anything about a new best friend?”<br/>“Well, you’ll be so busy in Michigan that you’ll definitely forget all about Pawnee. And I suppose that’s okay, as long as you’re happy.”<br/>Ann rolled her eyes. She was going to ask if Leslie was joking, but the look on the woman’s face told her that she wasn’t. She looked sincere- and quite depressed.</p><p>“Leslie,” Ann said gently, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. “If we <em>do</em> leave Pawnee, you can bet on all of Ron’s gold that I wouldn’t forget Pawnee, and definitely not you. Never ever. You’ll always be my best friend, understand?”<br/>Leslie sighed softly. Ann couldn’t tell if she was going to cry or not, but then she burst into tears, and she was pulling Ann in for a hug and squeezing her tightly.<br/>“I just love you so much,” Leslie wailed. “I’m sorry I was crazy and didn’t support you at first, I was just worried you’d leave and forget about me.”<br/>Ann hugged her back, feeling a few tears slip out herself. “I could never forget you, Leslie! That would be physically impossible, and even though I never would, I don’t think you’d ever let that happen either!”<br/>Leslie laughed into Ann’s shoulder, before sitting back and wiping her eyes.<br/>“If you decide to do it, I’ll support you,” Leslie told her. “And then I’ll make a whole horde of binders on the situation- specifically your future town, travel distance, best waffle venues…”<br/>Leslie went on, babbling, and Ann smiled as she watched her best friend get on board with the situation. Leslie was great- when she was on your side, she was <em>really </em>on your side. And Ann knew that there wasn’t a chance in hell that Leslie would never not be on Ann’s side, because she was the best friend in the world. Once she stopped acting crazy, anyway.</p><p>“Hey,” Ann said softly, stopping Leslie’s monologue for a second. “I love you.”<br/>“I love you too,” Leslie replied instantly. <br/>They hugged again, and Ann knew that there wasn’t a chance in the universe that they wouldn’t be best friends for the rest of their lives.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. They didn't need each other... did they?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ron contemplates Morningstar and the loss of his best frie- work proximity acquaintance.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Did anyone else get the sense that Morningstar was getting made out to be Leslie's fault?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ron wasn't interested in caring about people. Deep down, he felt a strong kinship with the Parks Department gang. But he would never admit it. Not even to himself. </p><p>When he lost his longest and closest frie- work proximity acquaintance to his own stubborness, he was pissed.</p><p>He didn't care about Leslie, not at all, he wanted to think. He just didn't like change, that was all. </p><p>For sure.</p><p>That was his excuse for not telling her about Morningstar. He knew she would be upset, and he wasn't looking forward to a change such as her sudden absence in his life. Turns out, not telling her put the writing on the wall.</p><p>Everyone was talking about how childish this fight was. But he disagreed. They were so different, they were bound to have a falling out. He had his side of the story, she had hers, that was never going to change. He didn't want it to anyway. </p><p>But then again, why should he think about it? He'd rather spend time with his family or hide in his cabin to eat steak and drink whiskey.</p><p>He ignored the fact that it didn't bring him as much joy as it used to.</p><p>He's been alone most of his life by choice. Now he has a family, and Leslie has hers. They didn't need each other anymore...</p><p>...Did they?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. A Bad Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie and Ben have some quiet time.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What’s wrong?” Ben asked her.<br/>
Leslie looked up from the document she was filing at the kitchen table to look at him quizzically. “What do you mean? I’m fine.”<br/>
Ben squinted at her, a sad smile on his face. “No, you’re not.”<br/>
Leslie sighed a little, putting the binder down. “You’re right. I’m not.”<br/>
He always knew when she was having a bad day. They didn’t happen often- or maybe they happened more than he thought, and she was just good at burying herself in work to distract herself. That was something they were trying to work on. Leslie did work because she loved it, but sometimes she did it because she loved to block out whatever bad things she was feeling.<br/>
And they had been together long enough for him to read her like a book.<br/>
He moved around the table to reach her, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. “Come on,” he said to her gently. “Let’s come and sit for a while.”<br/>
“But I’m not finished with this binder!”<br/>
“Honey, I will bet our house and all our savings that that binder is for a project due in at least three months. I know how well-prepared you are."<br/>
Leslie let out a soft breath of a laugh. “Alright, Wyatt. You got me there.”</p><p>***</p><p>“Do you want to talk about what’s upsetting you?” Ben asked her once they were on the sofa. She was sat practically on his lap, her head on his shoulder. He ran his hand through her hair, the other one resting on her knee. She sighed softly.<br/>
“I don’t even think I’m upset. I’m just a little down.”<br/>
Ben felt his heart clench a little. He wracked his brains for any reason why she could be like this. “I haven’t upset you, have I?”<br/>
Leslie looked at him. “Of course not. You’d <em>know </em>if you had,” she added with a chuckle, prompting him to smile. “No, I think I’m just having a bad day.”<br/>
“I could call Ann?” he asked. “She always cheers you up.”<br/>
“That is true,” Leslie replied. “But I think I just want to sit with you right now. If that’s okay?”<br/>
“Of course,” Ben told her. “Of course it is.”</p><p>***</p><p>She was leaning against him, the silence comfortable. Ben was worrying, of course he was, but if she said all she wanted was to sit with him; if that would improve her mood, then you can bet every cone of dunshire that he wouldn’t be moving for a long time.<br/>
After about an hour, she sat back. He could see her eyes were watery, and she hastily wiped them.<br/>
“I feel better now,” she told him. “I think I just needed a hug.”<br/>
“You can always just ask, honey,” he told her. “I know that things have been a little rough lately. The recall was only a few months ago, and then Ann left…”<br/>
She winced, and he regretted instantly that he was basically listing her problems. But then she smiled.<br/>
“Yeah. But I am so lucky to have you here with me, to make me feel better. I love you.”<br/>
“I love you too,” he replied straight away, leaning in to give her a soft kiss. “What do you want to do tonight?”<br/>
“I don’t mind,” she said with a soft sigh. “As long as waffles are involved.”<br/>
Ben pulled out his phone. “You got it, babe. I’ll call JJ’s.”<br/>
She leant back against him. “Thank you, honey. Thank you so much.”<br/>
Ben wanted to say <em>you don’t have to thank me- you never have to thank me, </em>but he knew she knew that. She was just being the lovely person she was, so instead he just hummed softly and kissed her sunshine hair and let her lie against him for as long as she needed.<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thanks for reading &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. At Least They Have Each Other</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie is missing Ann. Ben comforts her. Set post-S06E12, 'Ann and Chris'.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I just rewatched parks and rec and was in desperate need of the Benslie vibes so deal with it lol.</p>
<p>Also I'm thinking of starting a drabble collection.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leslie flops on the couch in tears. Ben wanted to help her, comfort her, make it all better, but he couldn't. Her best friend had left to start a new life with her boyfriend and soon-to-be baby. He wasn't sure anything could comfort her for a while. Even the waffles she just ate with everyone at J.J.'s Diner didn't seem to do anything to ease the pain. </p>
<p>"I miss her already." Leslie mumbles into the couch cushion. </p>
<p>"I know, honey." He says, soothingly as he tentatively sits on the couch next to her sprawled out figure.</p>
<p>"Will the pain ever go away?" Leslie sits up and leans her head on Ben's shoulder. </p>
<p>"I don't know, Leslie." He rests his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently. </p>
<p>"Enough about me." She wipes her eyes and tries to put on her bravest smile, but it comes out more like a grimace. "How are you doing?" Leslie asked him. </p>
<p>Of course his very selfless wife would ramp down her feelings to see how he was doing. He should've known.</p>
<p>"Babe, I'm fine." He wasn't. </p>
<p>"You're lying." She sniffles. </p>
<p>"I guess I am a little." He's okay with that for now; he just wants to make her feel better. </p>
<p>She rolls her eyes at him, and they dampen again, like she just remembered Ann and Chris leaving Indiana. </p>
<p>Ben's hands move from her shoulders to her sides, gliding past her ribcage to her hips to pull her into his lap. Leslie buries her face into the crook of his neck and they sit there in silence. </p>
<p>"At least I have you." Leslie whispers, probably unaware that he even heard her. </p>
<p>"Ditto." He whispers back. </p>
<p>Her breathing changes, slowing to soft involuntary noises, and he realizes she's fallen asleep. </p>
<p>He's sleepy himself, it's been a long day, so he carries her into their bedroom, and they cuddle all night. </p>
<p>At least they have each other.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Like a Boat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie feels insecure about her body while pregnant. Ben enlists some help.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leslie groaned loudly, waking Ben up. It was early morning.<br/>“You okay?” he asked tiredly, rolling over to face her.<br/>“No. I feel like a <em>boat</em>.”<br/>“You look amazing, honey.”<br/>“Ben!” Leslie whined. “I’m in my pyjamas and I just woke up. How can you <em>possibly </em>think that?”<br/>Ben leaned over to give her a kiss. She looked sleepily at him, but the corners of her mouth were turned down in a sad little pout. His eyes softened.<br/>“You always look amazing,” he affirmed. “But especially right now.”<br/>“You’re a liar,” she said coyly. <br/>“I’m not! You’ve got three crazy kids in your belly and you still look like a supermodel. You’re acing this pregnancy <em>Leslie Knope</em> style.”<br/>“That’s sweet, honey, but you <em>have </em>to say that.” The pout was back. “I’m aching all the time, I feel gross. I always need to pee and I’m so <em>tired all the time</em>. I love them to pieces but they’re also sort of ruining my life.”<br/>Ben laughed loudly. “I’ll remind you of that when they’re eighteen and leaving home.”<br/>“Shut up,” she moaned, and he laughed. Then he was kissing her forehead.</p><p>“Leslie. I know you must feel self-conscious- I can’t imagine how hard it must be to carry three babies, or the struggles of being a woman-”<br/>“Yeah, because you’re a <em>man</em>.”<br/>“-but I <em>do </em>know that you are incredible. Everyone thinks so. Do I need to ring Ann and get her to tell you how amazing you are?” <br/>Leslie blinked back a few tears. “Maybe.”<br/>Ben laughed, kissing her forehead again. He found Ann’s contact in her phone before hitting dial. <br/><em>“Hello? Ben?” </em><br/>“Hi, Ann,” Ben said tiredly. “I hope you weren’t asleep.”<br/><em>“No,” </em>Ann replied with a laugh. <em>“Nobody gets any sleep in this house. Especially not Chris- he’s still out on his beat the sun run. What’s up</em>?”<br/>“Well, Leslie thinks she looks like a boat and I wanted a second opinion,” Ben told her as Leslie groaned next to him. <br/><em>“Am I on loudspeaker?”<br/></em>“Yup.”<br/><em>“Leslie! You’re amazing, sweetie! And you look incredible. I think you look better than I did when I had one baby, let alone three.”<br/></em>“Ann!” Leslie wailed. “You have always looked<em> incredible</em>.”<br/>Ben smiled as Ann laughed down the phone. <em>“I agree with your husband, Leslie. You’re amazing. I love you and I really miss you.”<br/></em>“I really really love and miss you too,” Leslie told her.</p><p>When the phone call ended, Leslie snuggled down against Ben, still feeling a little mopey, but definitely better than before. <br/>“Thanks for that,” she told him. Ben smiled. <br/>“It’s alright. I’m here for you whenever you need bolstering. I love you so much.”<br/>“I love you too. And I can’t wait to have these babies.”<br/>“Aww, me too-”<br/>“So they can <em>finally leave my body!”<br/></em>Ben just laughed and kissed her.<br/><br/></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. A Weird Phenomenon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chris and Ann being Chris and Ann.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ann walks into her living room and spots Chris heavily engaged in vigorous push-ups.</p><p>The man's a god at exercise, so he hasn't even broken a sweat, snd she's pretty sure he's on the 1000th one by now. It's a weird phenomenon.</p><p>She lays her hand on her protruding belly. She smiles at the evidence at their soon to be first child. </p><p>She looks at Chris with concern when she hears a grunt. "You okay?" </p><p>He immediately stops to talk to her, sitting cross-legged on his mat. It's something she noticed when they got back together. He'll drop everything to attend to her needs. </p><p>"Ann Perkins!" He whips out his trademark finger guns. </p><p>She chuckles good-naturedly and her face turns serious. "What's going on?" </p><p>"What?" He's face is filled with confusion for a moment before his eyes light up with understanding. "Oh, that? I accidentally ate white bread so I was just burning it off!" He says cheerfully. </p><p>"Okay." That sort of explains it. "I think you'll be fine without having to do that." </p><p>"Ann Perkins, are you encouraging me to be unhealthy?" He asks, a little shocked. </p><p>She can't tell whether or not he's being serious, so she lets out a self-deprecating chuckle. "Not at all. You're in fine shape though, you shouldn't worry so much." </p><p>"I have 2.8% body fat, my body's a microchip, A grain of sand could destroy it. My body's a microchip!" He exclaims, as if reminding himself of that fact. </p><p>Ann laughs, remembering that day in the hospital when they were first dating and he informed her of this. Ah, memories. </p><p>"Well, I'd ask you to have breakfast with me, but it looks like you're still freaking out about the bread." </p><p>"I'll eat a lovely salad with you with my self-made dressing." </p><p>"And I will eat 12 cheeseburgers and a jar of peanut butter." Ann mutters, rubbing her pregnant belly again in contempt of her increased appetite. "Ooh, do you think we could get pizza too?"</p><p>"Why not?" Chris replies, and he jumps up energetically to her. </p><p>"How are you not exhausted?" Ann asks in disbelief. </p><p>The question goes unanswered when he drapes an arm over her shoulder, and she starts thinking about food again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I need Andy/April prompts. Also, let me know of any typos!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. It's You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie and Ben talk on their wedding night.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Can you believe we did that?” Leslie whispered. <br/>They were lying in their bed, having left the Parks department (and their sleeping friends) over three hours ago. It was well into the night. Ben could still feel the buzz of alcohol in his system, or maybe it was the fact that he was riding high right now. He had never felt happier.<br/>“Of course I can,” he replied. “Deciding to get married early was the best decision we’ve ever made.”<br/>“Ever better than the decision to get married in the first place?” Leslie asked with a chuckle.<br/>Ben grinned. “Okay. <em>Second </em>best decision.”<br/>“What about the decision to move in together? Or the decision to-”<br/>“You get my point,” Ben said, his grin getting wider. Leslie laughed.<br/>“I know. I’m only teasing. But it does make me realise that we’ve made a <em>lot </em>of good decisions together.”<br/>“We have.”<br/>“And a few bad ones.”<br/>“We don’t have to talk about that right now. All that matters is that we’re back together.”<br/>Leslie hummed. “And we’re married.”<br/>“We are.”</p><p>She leaned over and kissed him. They had kissed a <em>lot </em>that night- among other things- but she would never tire of the feeling of his lips on hers. And he would never tire of when, when she leaned in, she smiled ever so slightly before closing the gap. <br/>“It’s you,” he whispered. “It’s you and me, forever.”<br/>“I know,” she whispered back. “I can’t believe it. I am riding on such a high right now.” She pulled back. “Do you think the others are okay?”<br/>“I’m sure they’re fine,” he replied. <br/>“They really can’t hold their alcohol.”<br/>“No,” he said with a laugh. “They can’t. Except Ron.”<br/>Leslie chuckled. “Well, yeah. Even snake juice couldn’t keep him down for long.”<br/>The two of them chuckled. <br/>“Wow,” Leslie whispered. “We’re going to have so many fun times together. Just thinking about our future… it makes me so, incredibly happy.”<br/>“I can’t wait,” Ben replied, leaning over to wrap his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. “I can’t wait until you’re the President and I get to be First… Man.”<br/>They both laughed.<br/>“Unless you’re President before me,” she countered. “But then I’ll run against you next time and then I’ll beat you.”<br/>Ben pretended to look offended, before kissing her again. “I am absolutely counting on it.”</p><p>A few minutes passed.<br/>“I’m not tired,” Leslie told him. “I’m too excited to sleep. I just don’t want this night to end.”<br/>“Me neither,” he told her. “I just want it to go on and on.”<br/>Leslie rolled over to properly face him. “Well… we could…”<br/>Ben raised an eyebrow. “Again?” Then he cocked his head. “Wait, why am I even questioning this. Yes. I would very much like to do that.”<br/>Leslie laughed, and pulled him in closer. “I love you.”<br/>“I love you too.” <br/>Soft kisses turned to passionate ones. And the night went on.</p><p>Just the two of them, together.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Two Thoughts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>April and Andy post-wedding. (post-S03E09, 'Fancy Party'.)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry this is so short xD</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Andy drives to the vacation house he and April were meant to spend their honeymoon in, two thoughts come to him. </p>
<p>One, he's married! That's crazy, right?</p>
<p>And two, he's totally lost. He's supposed to turn right, right?</p>
<p>"Uh, Andy?" April says. He can hear the smile in her voice. Wait, is that a thing? You can hear a smile? Well, he can sometimes taste pizza just from the smell of it, but that's only when he's really hungry... and in need of some dangerously high amounts of pizza, which, by the way, is pretty often. </p>
<p>"Yeah?" </p>
<p>"I think you're supposed to turn left." She says, trying to hide her giggle.</p>
<p>"You're so smart, how did you know?"  </p>
<p>"That's what it says on the GPS." April smirks at him. </p>
<p>Andy chuckles and turns around.  </p>
<p>"I'm bored." April says, annoyed.</p>
<p>Andy glances at the GPS. "I don't understand this at all, but I think we're almost there." </p>
<p>He drives in silence for a few minutes before she pipes up again.</p>
<p>"What'll we do when we get there?" April says, staring out the car window. </p>
<p>It's Andy's turn to smirk now. "Well," he says, "I can think of a few things." </p>
<p>April whips her head around to look at him and feigns a groan. "Ew, stop." She fails at containing her amusement and starts laughing. </p>
<p>He doesn't say anything more; he just takes her hand as they continue driving into the unknown.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I need Andy/April prompts. They're seriously fun to write, but my non-existent brain can't come up with anything lmao.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Little Leslie</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie and Ben meet Ann and Chris' daughter.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Had this one in my head for a while. It must have happened, right?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ann had given birth to her second child in the spring. Leslie and Ben were there within a few hours, of course they were. Chris had been on the phone to Ben as Leslie frantically packed the car with the presents that she had accumulated over the past few months.<br/><em>“Everyone is happy and healthy. We also have a surprise for Leslie.” <br/></em>“You do?” Ben asked, a smile in his voice. “What does <em>that </em>mean?”<br/><em>“You’ll see, Ben Wyatt.”</em></p><p>Leslie had been a ball of energy in the car, but she was even worse when they actually got to the hospital.<br/>“ANN!” Leslie said, in the loudest stage whisper Ben had ever seen. He rolled his eyes fondly, moving to hug Chris, who had a big hug on his face.<br/>“Leslie!” Ann said, a grin on her face.<br/>“You look radiant. And so does the baby, oh my goodness. The most beautiful child I have ever seen!” She paused, turning to wince at Chris. “Aside from Oliver, obviously. Sorry.”<br/>“And… <em>our children</em>?” Ben said, his face confused. Leslie waved him off, moving to hug Ann.</p><p>“Hello, little one!”<br/>“She’s a she,” Ann told her. “Meet Leslie.”<br/>“I’m pleased to meet you,” Leslie whispered. “What’s her name?”<br/>Ben looked at Chris, getting the gist immediately, and feeling a burst of happiness. Chris nodded, a  grin on his face. Ann’s own grin got wider.<br/>“Meet <em>Leslie</em>,” she said again.<br/>“I know, she’s met me, we're well acquainted. But what’s her name?” There was a long pause. Leslie froze, her eyes wide. “Oh. <em>Oh</em>.”<br/>Before they knew it, she was crying tears of joy.</p><p>“Oh, <em>you guys</em>. Are you- are you sure?”<br/>“Of course!” Ann said. “<em>Of course</em> we’re sure.” <br/>“There is <em>literally </em>nobody else we would rather name our child after,” Chris said. Then he moved to take the baby, so Leslie could hug Ann tightly. <br/>“I love you so much,” Leslie told Ann, who laughed.<br/>“I love you too, Leslie.”<br/>“Do you mean me or the daughter? Wait, stupid question. That’s the last time I’ll say that, I promise.”<br/>Ann just laughed and squeezed her tighter. <br/>When that was complete, after what felt like hours, Ben hugged Ann, and then the baby was returned and Leslie moved to hug Chris, and then Ben, who squeezed her tightly and kissed his wife’s forehead.</p><p>“She’s beautiful, you guys,” Ben told them. Ann smiled at him.<br/>“Thanks, Ben.”<br/>“She takes after her beautiful goddess mother,” Leslie said. “And her Dad too, of course.”<br/>“Oh, it’s all Ann,” Chris said, kissing Ann on the lips. “Definitely.”<br/>“Little Leslie,” Ann whispered. <br/>There was so much love in that room, and the amount of love for Little Leslie only increased. She was just as radiant as her namesake, and Ann knew she had made the right decision in who to name her after. She never once doubted it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. What Best Friends Are For</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ann and Leslie have a heart to heart while scrapbooking.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Mooooo</p><p> </p><p>Sorry, I'm bored.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ann's getting ready to go to bed when there's a knock at the door. Then another. And another. And a dozen doorbell rings. That's definitely Leslie. </p><p>She opens the door, and Leslie walks in with a red box, sporting her crazy eyes. Oh lord, what does she have up her sleeve this time? </p><p>"What's up?" Ann tries to ask casually.</p><p>"I thought we could make a scrapbook together, or just crafts if you don't feel up to it." She holds up the box, and Ann peers in. It's filled to the brim with paper and scissors, and- good lord is that glitter?</p><p>"It's 11pm. I have a shift tomorrow. Also, I'm a bad artist." She goes for a joke, but it falls flat. </p><p>"Oh." The hopeful look in her eyes dampens, and Ann starts to think it's about more than scrapbooking.</p><p>"Screw it. Let's do this."</p><p>As they sit cross-legged on the floor taking out materials, Ann can't stop herself from asking. </p><p>"Is something wrong?"</p><p>Leslie bites her lip. "No, can't a girl come to her best friend's house late at night to make a scrapbook?" She sputters out quickly.</p><p>Ann narrows her eyes at that while picking up a pair of scissors. </p><p>"Well, if the girl is Leslie Knope, then yes. But come on." Ann bumps her knee against Leslie's playfully. "What's up?"</p><p>Leslie sighs. "I miss Ben." </p><p>"Oh, Leslie-</p><p>"I know, I know, I shouldn't, I'm running a campaign right now. I think I just need to keep reminding myself why I gave him up." She sighs again. "Is that weird?" </p><p>"Not at all. I still kind of miss Chris." She admits shyly, even though Leslie already knew about that. </p><p>"I know." She whispers. "I guess we're kind of in the same boat, huh?" </p><p>"I guess we are." Ann muses. </p><p>The next few minutes fly by in silence; Leslie passionately cutting out paper hearts. </p><p>Ann gestures to the design she made on the cardstock. "What do you think?" </p><p>"Oh, Ann, you sharp, lovely, little dove, you're too beautiful to be artistic." Leslie says, with a look of awe and pity on her face. It's a facial expression she's become familiar with over the years.</p><p>Ann rolls her eyes at the criticism at the same time as feeling slightly weirded out by the compliment. </p><p>After they're done, they clean up the floor and play Twister. </p><p>This is what best friends are for.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Rain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie. Ben. The rain.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leslie cursed. Of <em>course </em>her car had to break down on the one day it was pouring it down, right in the middle of her commute to City Hall. She had managed to pull over and was now sat in the car, trying the engine. No joy. The rain was battering the roof of her car.<br/>Ugh, she was going to be <em>late</em>. She didn’t even care about her car- it was an old piece of crap and she needed a new one- <em>badly. </em>But her first priority was getting into work.</p><p>She called a company who said they would come and collect the car, but that didn’t solve the issue of getting into work. Maybe she should call a cab, or even ask the car guy to give her a lift?<br/>Before she could think on that for too long, she spotted a set of headlights coming down the road, and then the car next to her beeped softly. She squinted to see who was in the passenger seat and groaned again, but this time it was for a different reason.</p><p>It was Ben- cute, funny, amazing Ben, who she <em>definitely</em> had feelings for but, well, Chris had sort of banned that. If she wanted to keep her job? No cute Ben.</p><p>Ben rolled down his window. Leslie did the same, and the sound of the rain got much louder.<br/>“Are you okay?” he called. Leslie winced.<br/>“Car trouble- don’t worry about me!”<br/>Ben frowned. “Have you called somebody?”<br/>“Yeah,” Leslie told him. “I called some scrap people. This car is totally busted. Now I’m just waiting around.”<br/>Ben frowned harder. “That’s not fun. Do you want a lift into work?”<br/>Leslie’s brain said no. No- don’t spend too much time with him. It’ll only make it harder when inevitably you have to-<br/>“Yes! Yes please, that would be great.”</p><p>So less than five minutes later, Ben and Leslie were on their way to work. Leslie thanked Ben again for the car ride, and Ben was as polite as usual. <br/>“It’s really no problem,” he told her. “I couldn’t leave you stranded.” Ben laughed. “You practically run that place. It’d burn to the ground without you there.”<br/>Leslie’s heart fluttered a little. “Err- thank you.”<br/>They smiled at each other, but now they were sat in silence. The tension was killing Leslie. Especially when they hit a red light and Ben took his hands off the wheel for a moment. They hovered in the air, before settling on his legs. God, he had nice legs. God, he had nice <em>hands.</em> Leslie wondered what he could do with those hands. <em><br/>No! Stay focused. You want to be president someday. You can’t be president if you get involved with him.</em> <br/>“So, what are your weekend plans?” Ben asked with a smile, and Leslie fell a bit in love with him.</p><p>***</p><p>Leslie sighed. It had been a week since she and Ben had broken up- amicably, of course, and Ben had been a total sweetheart- but she had felt that weight on her chest since then. It was Friday now, and Ann had invited her round for movies, but she had a few hours in between. Maybe she could get some crying in and then fix her makeup before she went round to Ann’s.</p><p>She left City Hall just as huge droplets of water fell from the sky. It matched her mood, to be perfectly honest. <br/>As she walked to the car park, she felt a rush of anxiety as she spotted Ben walking there too. He had a huge umbrella, of course that man was prepared for anything. Leslie had checked the weather this morning and it had said sunny. But now it was raining.<br/>Why was he coming over to her? God he was getting closer, he was-</p><p>“Do you want to share my umbrella? We’re walking the same way.”<br/>“Err- no thanks, Ben.”<br/>“But you’re getting soaked,” he commented, giving her a classic Ben look of disapproval. <br/>Leslie cursed inwardly. “Alright, fine. Thanks.”<br/>The two walked in silence. He was holding the umbrella, so all she had to do was walk. Just walk to her car, politely thank him, then drive home and cry and then eat a bucket of ice cream. <br/>“So, what are your weekend plans?” Ben asked, and Leslie’s heart broke a little. <br/>“Nothing really,” Leslie replied. “Work.”<br/>Ben chuckled drily. “Is that all?” <br/>“I’m seeing Ann tonight,” she said quietly, and Ben nodded. <br/>“That’s nice.”<br/>“What about you?”<br/>“Not much. I might give Twin Peaks another spin.”<br/>“That’s cool.”</p><p>They finally got to their cars, which just happened to be parked one car away from each other. Leslie hesitated, before giving him a smile.<br/>“Thanks for the umbrella, Ben.”<br/>“No problem,” he replied. <br/>The two stood in silence. Ben moved slightly, and Leslie thought he was going to say or do something, but then he pulled out his keys and unlocked his car. Leslie was disappointed. Why was she disappointed? It had been an amicable break up. She had her career to think of.<br/>“Well… see you around, I guess,” Ben murmured.<br/>“Yeah, see you around,” Leslie echoed, and the two of them looked at each other miserably.</p><p>Leslie got into her car and watched him drive away into the rain.</p><p>***</p><p>The rain hitting a roof had always been a pleasant sound. Leslie had loved it, ever since she was a child. It made her feel so content, so at peace. It helped her brain switch off. <br/>She was sat on the couch, listening to the rain, feeling happy.<br/>“Are you comfortable?” his voice said beside her. <br/>“Of course I am, I’m leaning on you,” she replied with a giggle. He laughed.<br/>“You’re lucky I don’t mind being leaned on.”<br/>She turned and looked at Ben, and he gave her a smile. They kissed gently, but it never got old.<br/>When their lips parted, she turned and looked out the window again, watching the rain as it lashed down onto the street. <br/>“So, honey, what are our weekend plans?” he asked her. And Leslie smiled. <br/>“Anything, as long as we’re together.”<br/>Ben sighed contentedly. “That’s fine by me.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thanks for reading! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Talking In Her Sleep</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ben already knows they have to break up, but why does Leslie's sleep talking make it so much more real?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>why did I do this</p><p>also yes it's short shut up lol </p><p>I had like no time to write this week &gt;='(</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben can't bring himself to go to sleep. He needs to savor every moment with Leslie, every little second because it's not going to last much longer.</p><p>Two days ago, he heard Leslie talking in her sleep, campaigning for City Council. She's always doing that, which Ben has come to find adorable. However, it was often for President or Governor. City Council was a little too specific.</p><p>Ben should have expected it. Nothing was ever easy for him.</p><p>At least he got this time with Leslie; his life was happy for a little while. He's never had that before.</p><p>He shifts in Leslie's bed, careful not to wake her up. She stirs a little in her sleep, and her body subconsciously inches closer to him.</p><p>Leslie starts to mumble something, and Ben can't decide between loving it and hating it at this moment in time.</p><p>But this time, she isn't mumbling campaign speeches into the pillow. Ben slides down into the bed, lying down next to her, his face centimeters away from hers. He rests his left hand on her hip.</p><p>"Ben..." She whispers. "Ben."</p><p>It doesn't look like she's about to wake up, so she must be dreaming about him. If Ben weren't feeling so lousy, he would feel a sense of pride about that.</p><p>"Can't... break up."</p><p>
  <em>Oh no. Oh, good lord, no.</em>
</p><p>Wait, when did his head start spinning?</p><p>Leslie mumbles a few more incoherent phrases, the last one blindsiding him:</p><p>"You can't leave," she mutters, tugging his arm, tears streaming down her face.</p><p>He only holds her closer.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>so how did you like my shitty angst?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Blame Snake Juice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie apologises to Ben for her behaviour.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I can't remember if that specific moment was even addressed again lol</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leslie swallowed down the feeling that she was going to be sick, yet again. Snake juice was quite possibly just poison- maybe she was slowly dying. She had memories of last night, but they were hazy. She knew she fought with Ann, but something else was niggling at the back of her mind. <br/>They were friends again- that was the thing that made Leslie smile even when she wanted to throw up into her bin as she sat at her desk, head pounding. <br/>Ben had obviously had something to do with it- he had left briefly, telling her he needed to be sick, but he was actually gone for like twenty minutes and then twenty minutes after that, Ann showed up. He had had a cheeky, almost proud look on his face throughout their interview with Ann, but he didn’t say anything. He was happy to just watch them repair their friendship. Another man would have bragged until the cows came home, but not Ben.</p><p>Leslie was struggling through her second email of the day when it hit her. The memory of last night- she wanted him to dance with her. But he said no, probably because she was hideously drunk, and it felt wrong. So, she had shouted at him and grabbed Jean-Ralphio instead.<br/>Leslie felt her whole body deflate, and she eventually turned and threw up into the bin. The nauseous feeling wouldn’t leave, however, and she knew she had to go and find him.</p><p>***</p><p>Ben looked up from his desk to see Leslie sloping into the room. She was always beautiful, but right now she looked like she would rather be sleeping for seventeen hours. She looked like how he felt.<br/>“You okay?” he asked, noticing how whiny his voice sounded. His stomach would betray him soon.<br/>“Not really,” she replied instantly. “Ben, I am so sorry.”<br/>He frowned. “What?”<br/>“Last night, I- I remember asking you to dance with me. And then shouting at you when you said no.”<br/>Ben’s stomach twisted. He had a memory of that too. <br/>“I am so sorry,” Leslie repeated. “You had every right to refuse, I-”<br/>“Hey,” Ben said quickly, standing. He ignored how his stomach protested and moved round to stand by her. “It’s not that I didn’t want to, it just… it felt like a bad time.”<br/>“No, I know,” Leslie insisted, her head bobbing up and down. “And you were right. I just, I feel so bad. I made you feel like you did something wrong, and that… that’s unforgivable.”<br/>“I did feel a little weird afterwards,” Ben admitted, and Leslie put her head in her hands. Ben winced, before putting his hand on her shoulder. “I think we can blame the snake juice.”<br/>“But Ben-”<br/>“I know you would never shout at me usually. And I forgive you.”<br/>Leslie removed her hands from her face. “You… you do?”<br/>“Of <em>course</em> I do, I...”</p><p><em>I love you</em> was the unfinished end to that sentence. Leslie felt it. Ben felt it too.</p><p>The two of them looked at each other. Leslie felt her breath hitch- he was staring at her in such a comforting way that she wanted to just kiss him on the spot.<br/>“I’m sad,” she whispered.<br/>“But you and Ann are friends again,” he replied, frowning slightly.<br/>“Not because of that. You know why.”<br/>"Is there anything I can do to help?"<br/>Leslie let out a slow breath, and he felt a tingle at the back of his neck. The intense stare continued, and Leslie was about to close the gap when the door burst open.</p><p>“<em>Leslie Knope! </em>What brings you to our neck of the woods?”<br/>The never-ending optimism of Chris Traeger shattered the spell. Leslie saw Ben slowly shut his eyes and breathe out through his nose. Leslie gritted her teeth and turned around.<br/>“Just checking Ben is alive.”<br/>Chris laughed, and Leslie hated him a little bit. “I have to say, if one ounce of that mixture wouldn’t <em>literally </em>kill me dead, I’d almost be interested in trying it.”<br/>“Oh really?” Leslie asked, faking interest. "Maybe you <em>should </em>try it."<br/>Chris paused. “Actually, no. Seeing the effects is simply <em>horrible.</em>”<br/>“Is that so? Well, I’d better be going,” Leslie rushed out. Chris grinned at her and gave her finger guns, before sprinting into his office. Leslie turned back to Ben, who had a similar look of irritation on his face.</p><p>“I’m sorry again.”<br/>“It’s all forgiven. I’m sorry I couldn’t make last night better for you.”<br/>Leslie smiled sadly. “Me too.” She forced out a laugh. “Can you go back in time and tell me not to drink it?”<br/>“I was perfecting a time travel machine but I left it at home,” Ben joked.<br/>The two of them chuckled once or twice, but it was tinged with sadness. <br/>Leslie heard Chris doing press-ups in the other room, so forced herself to move away before she did something she would regret. “Well, I’ll see you around?”<br/>Ben sighed. “Sure will.”</p><p>He watched her leave, and for the millionth time he wished everything was different.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>:)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Pep Talk of the Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie's worried about disappointing everyone. Ron assures her that won't happen.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Merry Christmas, everyone!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leslie's been walking on air lately. Sure, all the campaign work is exhausting, but she has her boyfriend back while also having a team that she loves and trusts.</p><p>But every now and then Tom or April or even Donna make sarcastic jokes about how it's a long shot, which usually earns glares from everyone else, especially Ben. (She loves how defensive he is of her.) </p><p>Leslie doesn't let it get to her; she knows how they are. They believe in her. </p><p>But one day in particular, after she had a rough conference call with some other department heads, it bothers her just a little more than it should. </p><p>It all started at Andy and April's house when Ben asked Tom to run an errand for the campaign, passing him a stack of paperwork to drop off somewhere. He begrudgingly agreed and rolled his eyes when Ben glared at him and crossed his arms (his no-nonsense face is so sexy). Leslie didn't pay much attention, as Tom's non-compliance to do anything not swag or beneficial to him was a usual occurrence, but then she heard him mumbling as he walked off that it was a lost cause anyway. </p><p>Ben's eyes widened and he glanced over at Leslie, but she waved her hand nonchalantly to appease his concern and the moment was over.</p><p>Leslie knew logically that Tom didn't mean it; everyone was tired and wanting all this to be over. But, she's had a rough day. </p><p>She waited a few minutes before running outside to take a breather so as to not raise any suspicion.</p><p>**</p><p>After 10 minutes or so, Ben frowns out the window, watching her figure seated on the bench outside. </p><p>Ron follows his gaze outside. "What's going on, son?" </p><p>"Don't know." He narrows her eyes at her. "I think she's doing work outside." </p><p>Ron pats him on the back roughly, making him cough loudly to cover up his yelp. </p><p>Ron only raises his eyebrows at the behavior. "I'll go talk to her." </p><p>** </p><p>Ron opens the front door and exits quietly, walking over to Leslie and standing behind her.</p><p>Leslie suddenly feels like she's being watched, and tentatively turns her head to take a glance around. </p><p>"Ahh!" She screams when she sees Ron standing over her. "Why didn't you say anything?" </p><p>"I find this is more effective," He replies coolly, hiding a smile. "What's going on?" </p><p>"Nothing. I'm fine. I just like to work outside sometimes, does that make me so bad? Oh god, does someone need me?" She feels herself starting to hyperventilate, so she takes a deep breath, smiling. "I'm okay." </p><p>"No, you're not," Ron almost growls, taking a seat next to her on the bench. "Did Andy burn something again?" </p><p>"No, but I still don't get how you can 'accidentally' almost burn your house down. Ben for sure didn't," she says, the expression of anger and fear on Ben's face flooding back. </p><p>"Trust me, no one does." </p><p>They sit in silence for a few moments. "Tom made another stupid comment this morning." </p><p>Ron nods, remembering Tom's grumbling. "You said you never let it get to you." </p><p>"I did. I don't. Just today, I guess," Leslie replies while fiddling with her sleeves.</p><p>The awkward silence is back. Leslie takes another deep breath. "I'm just worried about disappointing everyone." </p><p>"You won't."</p><p>"But what if I do? Especially Ben, we went through so much for this, and if I lose, all that suffering was for nothing. I don't want to lose everyone's respect."</p><p>"I doubt that'll happen." </p><p>"Pep talk of the year," Leslie says sarcastically. </p><p>"Pep talks are useless. You should have enough self-respect to motivate yourself." </p><p>Leslie just huffs at him.</p><p>"However, I can tell you facts. You're back together, correct?" </p><p>She nods, smiling a little. </p><p>"There you go. The suffering wasn't for nothing. Have you seen the way that man looks at you? He's not going anywhere," Ron says, a little annoyed.</p><p>"And if you do lose, you'll probably find something else to put all your effort into that will absolutely abhor me and make everyone want to run for the hills. You're never down for long." </p><p>Leslie's smile gets a little bigger the longer he talks. </p><p>"And as for losing everyone's respect, look around. They're helping you. Tom's all talk; the next time he says something stupid, I'll kick his ass for you. He's small and weak; a squirrel could beat him up." </p><p>"Thanks, Ron. I needed that." </p><p>Ron only nods. He wasn't one for emotions. Over the years, Leslie has learned to read him a little bit. Even having this conversation was likely putting him in pain, but what was worse for him was seeing Leslie look so dejected, she guesses. </p><p>Ron glances at the front door. "We should go back in now." </p><p>Leslie shivers a little in her seat, picking up the paperwork she didn't realize had slid off her lap. "Agreed. Or we could take everyone out for JJ's and do some work there." </p><p>"Jackpot," he says as they get up. He walks ahead of her and Leslie calls from behind him.</p><p> "Why would anyone ever eat anything other than breakfast food?"</p><p>"People are idiots, Leslie."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is <em> technically <em> not a one-shot, but deal with it.</em></em></p><p> </p><p>I read a fanfic once with a detail about characters making snide, pessimistic comments about the campaign, so I kind of played around with that here. If you know what fic it was, let me know which one so I can drop a link here.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. The Onion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>An incident involving an onion brings out Ben's softer side. <br/>TRIGGER WARNING- BLOOD</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope everyone is having a restful holiday season!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Maybe it was because she was tired. She had been tired for the past five years- raising triplets was no easy feat, and it certainly kept her and Ben on their toes.<br/>
But this week had been particularly taxing on the both of them- work was crazy, the kids had each had their own problems that came with kindergarten, and it had just been a whirlwind.</p><p>Leslie was chopping an onion when it happened. <em>An onion </em>of all things. All it took was for her to be thinking about a meeting coming up, and then to yawn- for her to lose concentration for <em>one </em>second, when the knife slipped and it was buried deep in her finger.<br/>
She hissed in pain, and already blood was starting to pour out in a rather alarming amount.<br/>
“Shit,” she whispered. She turned around. “Ben?”<br/>
Ben looked up from the rice he was draining. “Yeah?”<br/>
“I cut myself.”<br/>
Ben dropped the pan and hurried over. “Shit, that’s a lot of blood Leslie. Are you okay?”<br/>
“Uhh…”<br/>
She felt quite light-headed, if she was honest. Which was stupid, because it was just a tiny cut.<br/>
Ben must have caught on, because he quickly grabbed Leslie’s shoulders as she staggered, and kept her upright.<br/>
“We’re getting you to the sofa,” Ben told her, but his voice sounded far away.</p><p>Leslie didn’t register the journey from the kitchen to the sofa. The next thing Leslie was aware of was being plonked down by Ben, who looked at her in worry, his hands on her face. Leslie had her eyes shut, and she looked really pale all of a sudden.<br/>
“Are you okay?” he asked quickly.<br/>
“Yeah,” Leslie tried to reassure him, keeping her eyes shut. “I think I just- I was so tired, and-”<br/>
She felt a pressure on her finger- he was holding a tissue down on it. Which was good, because it was stopping the bleeding, but bad, because the pain made her feel nauseous.<br/>
She just kept her eyes shut.<br/>
“The kitchen is a mess,” she said weakly. “The kids-”<br/>
“The kids are upstairs,” he assured her. “They won’t see it.”</p><p><em>It </em>being what looked like a murder scene in the kitchen. She swore she had just nicked her finger, why did her body have to make such a big fuss?<br/>
“Ouch,” Ben muttered. “That looks bad.”<br/>
Leslie opened one eye, and saw that Ben was inspecting her finger with delicate hands. Over the years they had seen to all sorts of injuries their children had gotten up to, but it had never been her.<br/>
“Sorry,” she managed. “And for- for collapsing like that, that wasn’t cool.”<br/>
“Hey,” Ben said slowly, looking at her. “Don’t worry about it.”<br/>
“That’s never happened before.”<br/>
“I think you’re right about being tired. Maybe your body just timed out for a second. It has been crazy lately- I fell asleep in a meeting yesterday.”</p><p>Leslie snorted. “That’s adorable. Not like my thing.”<br/>
Ben just smiled, and when he removed the tissue again, the bleeding had stopped. Leslie still felt a bit nauseous, so shut her eyes again, taking even breaths. But the next thing she knew, Ben was putting a soothing cream on the cut, and then he was wrapping a plaster around it and kissing it softly.<br/>
“All done,” he told her.<br/>
Leslie smiled at him. “You’re my hero.”<br/>
“You’re <em>my </em>hero,” he replied. “Are you okay now? Do you need a drink?”<br/>
“I’ll get one in the kitchen,” Leslie replied. “I should probably clean up the disaster scene I caused.”<br/>
“I’ll help you.”</p><p>Leslie stood, appreciating how Ben's hand was on her back, but she assured him that she was fine now. She got a drink, already feeling better, and then the two of them cleaned up the mess.<br/>
“I guess we need a new onion, huh,” Leslie pointed out. “That casserole can’t make itself.”<br/>
“We <em>could </em>just order takeout,” Ben replied. “The kids haven’t had one in a while, and we could do with some junk food to perk us up.”<br/>
Leslie grinned at him. “Ben Wyatt, I fall more in love with you every day.”<br/>
They kissed softly, and then Leslie was shouting up the stairs. “Kids! Who wants takeout?!”<br/>
The chorus of delighted responses was enough to make the two of them laugh out loud.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Loose Lips</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ben drives Leslie back to the hospital during S03E02, "Flu Season," after all the medicine has eaten away her filter.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>my one shots are going from bad to worse lmao</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tom was supposed to be the one driving Leslie back to the hospital, but apparently Jean-Ralphio called him and gave him an offer he couldn't refuse, and neither Ben nor Leslie asked any questions. </p><p>Fortunately for Leslie, Ben had offered to drive her back to the hospital, and he seemed happy to do it.</p><p>They were walking together to his car when suddenly, she started swaying, and Ben caught her, resting his hands on either arm to hold her steady. </p><p>Leslie chalks the flutter in her heart up to her having taken excessive amounts of flu medicine. </p><p>The drive back starts off silent, Leslie beginning to fall into a deep slumber at the constant buzz of the car as it moves. </p><p>Ben coughs and Leslie jolts up. </p><p>"Uh... sorry," Ben says awkwardly. </p><p>"It's okay." </p><p>The world starts to spin around, so Leslie sets her head back down against the car seat. She finds that soothes it.</p><p>"Just a few more minutes," Ben says. </p><p>"You trying to get rid of me, Wyatt?" </p><p>"Not at all." Ben winks at her. </p><p>Leslie giggles. It starts off slow, but quickly grows louder and louder. Weirdly enough, Ben doesn't seem to mind. In fact, he looks amused. </p><p>Then again, she might not be the best judge of character right now; she can barely see her own hand in front of her face. </p><p>Wait, that's not her hand. </p><p>"Exactly how much flu medicine did you take?" </p><p>"That's personal. Also, I don't know," Leslie says, breaking into another fit of hysterical laughter. </p><p>"Good lord." </p><p>They're silent for a few beats before Leslie speaks up again.</p><p>"You're cute," she admits, a mix of sincerity and humor in her voice, apparently confusing Ben on what the right way to respond is.</p><p>"Uhh, thanks?" He chooses, turning right on a green light. </p><p>"I thought you were cute when we first met." </p><p>She did. Until he opened his mouth and ruined it, that is. </p><p>Ben gives her another amused, but this time, also puzzled look. "You thought I was a jerk." </p><p>"That came later," Leslie says, and Ben snorts self-deprecatingly as she yawned. </p><p>"Anyway," she continues. "Admit it, Ben. You're starting to love Pawnee." </p><p>"It has a... certain charm." </p><p>"Uh-huh. Sure." She pauses. </p><p>She's silent again for a few moments. </p><p>"Are you sure you're not Scott Bakula?"</p><p>Ben pulls into the parking lot of the hospital. "We're here, Loose Lips." he quips, looking a little bit disappointed. </p><p>"Loose Lips? Who's that? Did Tom tell Lady Pennyface about my tiara?" Leslie lifts her head up and immediately regrets it, the world around her spinning faster than it already was. </p><p>"Stay there," he says, "I'll come get you." </p><p>And he does.</p><p>When he checks her back into the hospital and leaves shortly after to do some "last minute grocery shopping," Leslie can't help but note her own disappointment at his departure. </p><p>But that might just be her flu talking.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm ded</p><p> </p><p>also the last minute grocery shopping... can you guess what it's for?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Nothing Compares</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie misses Ben.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is based off the song Nothing Compares 2u by Sinead O'Connor.<br/>Sorry it's a little short!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leslie hadn’t felt pain like this before. With Dave, sure, it had been hard, but she had gotten over it quickly. It had helped that Justin had been there to hurry things along. With Mark, she hadn’t even felt love from him- not really- she just longed for him so badly- a one-sided longing.</p><p>But with Ben, it was two-sided. The longing came from both of them, and that is what had made it so painful.</p><p>In reality, she knew she had made the right decision. She had known Ben for, what, a year? She had wanted City Council her whole life. But it made it so much worse that she had had to consider which one to keep. That was how much he meant to her.</p><p>They had still been new. They hadn’t had a Valentines Day, or an anniversary. They hadn’t gotten the chance.</p><p>***</p><p>That was the mood Leslie was in when she ended up in the bar on a Tuesday night. She had told Ann that she was sorry, she couldn’t hang out. Not tonight. But she hadn’t wanted to stay in the house, either.</p><p>She didn’t want to sit on the chair- that was where they had kissed and kissed, her sat in his lap and his hands in her hair.<br/>
She didn’t want to cook in the kitchen- that had been for them, too. She couldn’t go up the stairs without thinking of them giddily running up there, heading to the bedroom.</p><p>She would be able to do all those things, in time. And she had a campaign to think of- she had bigger fish to fry.<br/>
But right now, all she wanted to do was go out and cry.</p><p>“It’s karaoke night,” someone told her when she went into the bar. She had ordered a shot, downed it, immediately asking for another. Then she was up on the stage.</p><p>She knew what song she wanted to sing. There was only one, really.<br/>
The music started, and she started to sing. She could hold a tune, but right then, her lip was quivering too much for her to sing properly, and it came out shaky and sad.</p><p>
  <em>“It’s been seven hours and fifteen days… since you took your love away…”</em>
</p><p>She sang, and soon everyone was joining in. Sort of a strange song for everyone to get involved in, but there they were. Leslie felt like she was united in her sadness.<br/>
And so she kept singing.</p><p>***</p><p>Leslie left straight afterwards. She didn’t care if people saw her- it would be months before the news of the campaign came out. She had had her moment, and now she could go home and focus on work.</p><p>Maybe, one day, she would find someone who compared to him. And she was allowed to feel sad. But now she had had her moment, she needed to focus up.</p><p>She had a lot of work to do.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Pillow Fight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>April and Andy have a pillow fight. Ben just wants to be left alone, but alas, living with these two psychos is an unpredictable, tiring, headache-inducing roller coaster ride.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm totally gonna write a part two sometime with leslie because yes</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Andy's dreaming of Burt Macklin catching the Zodiac Killer when he feels himself being pelted with things. </p><p>He wakes up to find April shooting marshmallows in his face, which he's not even mad about because that's such an awesome way to wake up. </p><p>Andy grins at her evilly, opening and closing his eyes multiple times to fully wake himself up and overcome the faint dizziness. He grabs a pillow from under him and holds it against him, both to threaten her and to shield himself. </p><p>April's eyes light up with a rare excitement that surprisingly wasn't so rare whenever she was with him. </p><p>He tosses the pillow at her, whacking her in the face. April stumbles backward, pushing the pillow away from her face while laughing and trying to balance herself,  an unsuccessful mission. </p><p>She grabs another pillow and hurls it at him. It hits him in the stomach. Andy yelps in surprise but quickly picks himself back up and dodges another pillow coming his way. </p><p>He's flinging another pillow at her when he hears a noise outside the bedroom. A groan and footsteps. </p><p>Ah, Ben's awake. </p><p>Awesome, someone to torment. Andy grabs the marshmallow shooter and a pillow. </p><p>They open the door quietly and can see him plainly putting something together in the kitchen.</p><p>His back is facing them; a perfect position for a sneak attack. Andy hands the pillow to April, choosing to make the marshmallow shooter his main weapon while his wife focused on the other. </p><p>Ben yelps as the marshmallow hits his head, and is knocked to the ground by a pillow strategically hitting the back of his knees. </p><p>"Guys, what the―</p><p>"Good morning," April smiles evilly once again.</p><p>"Shouldn't you guys be getting ready for work?" Ben asks, a hand jutting out in front of himself protectively. </p><p>"Oh, yeah! Babe, we forgot about that!" Andy slaps his forehead in realization. </p><p>"How do you― you know what, I don't want to know. I gotta go," Ben says. </p><p>He approaches the front door, squatting to pick up the pillow that had mysteriously ended up behind it. Turning around, he throws the pillow at the both of them, which knocks an unsuspecting Andy off his feet. </p><p>Ben opens the door and closes it with a smirk on his face and April and Andy speechless behind him. </p><p>"That... was awesome!" Andy says. </p><p>April kisses him and he forgets the entire incident, losing all remotely coherent thought.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Ann Visits the Knope-Wyatt Household</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Pretty much the title.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm soft for these guys</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Ann arrived at the house, she had come to expect three giddy six-year-olds greeting her at the door. It had been the same for the past six years, and she doubted it was going to change any time soon.<br/>“Hi!” Stephen yelled.<br/>“Hey guys! Wow- look at you!”<br/>“Do you have any waffles  for us?” Wesley asked, making Ann laugh.<br/>“I do! They’re in my bag!”<br/>“Woah!” came Leslie’s voice as she sprinted down the hall. “Okay guys, let Ann walk through the door.” <br/>The children dispersed, allowing Ann to put down her bag and for Leslie to embrace her in a tight hug. When they finally pulled back from each other, the two women were smiling. <br/>“It’s so good to see you,” Leslie told her. “Even if it’s just for the night.” <br/>“I know,” Ann replied, and the women hugged again. Ann frowned.<br/>“Are you smelling my hair?”<br/>“No!”</p><p>The two of them walked down the hallway into the living room, where Ben was stood with a child attached to each leg.<br/>“Hi Ann!” he called.<br/>Ann burst out laughing. “Hey Ben!”<br/>“How are Chris and the kids?” Ben asked, detaching the children so he could move to give her a hug.<br/>“They’re fine! A little bummed they couldn’t come down tonight, but since I’m up early for the conference and then back in Michigan for my Mom’s birthday, it was just impractical.”<br/>“Are you bringing Uncle Chris and Oliver and Leslie next time?” Wesley asked, again proving to Ann that he had inherited his Mother’s tenacity. <br/>“Sure am, buddy. Maybe next week, since it’s Spring Break?” Ann threw her hands up in the air excitedly. “Which means <em>no school</em>! Yay!”<br/>“I can’t wait!” Sonia piped up. “I’ve got time to work on a project for class.”<br/>“Oh yeah?” Ann asked, sitting on the couch. “What’s it about?”<br/>“Space,” Sonia said simply, and Ann glanced at Ben, who shrugged happily. “Auntie Ann, your hair is so pretty. Like a flower princess.” <br/><em>Wow, </em>Ann thought. <em>That was like a double whammy. These kids really are what happens when Ben and Leslie make offspring. </em><br/>“Thank you! Do you want to help me braid it?” Ann asked, knowing that Sonia would want to.<br/>“Can I help?” Stephen asked with bright eyes. <br/>“Sure you can!”</p><p>***</p><p>Ove the next hour, the kids spent every second of their time talking to Ann. Ann wondered to herself if Leslie and Ben were superhuman, because there was no way they could deal with this level of excited energy for this long.<br/>Ben could tell after a while that Ann was flagging slightly, so he bundled up the kids in his arms and pretended to eat all three of them at once. Ann smiled widely at their giddy laughter, and then he was taking them outside so they could run around in the garden. <br/>Leslie laughed to herself as the two women watched them through the glass. Then she turned to Ann.</p><p>“It’s so good to see you,” she repeated. “It’s weird, it’s been years since you moved, but I still miss you like crazy.”<br/>Ann smiled sadly. “Aw, Les. I miss you too. I think we will come down for Spring Break for a few days, if that’s okay?”<br/>“Are you kidding?” Leslie asked. “I’ve already made an itinerary. I was counting on it!”<br/>They both laughed, and then sighed happily. <br/>“What is Chris doing with Oliver and Leslie tonight?” Leslie asked. “I hope my namesake is having a good evening.”<br/>Ann laughed to herself. Leslie had never quite gotten over the fact that she had named her daughter after her. <br/>“I think they’re going to make homemade healthy pizzas,” she replied. <br/>“Gross,” Leslie said with a grimace.<br/>“I wouldn’t be so sure. Chris sent me a picture of all the ingredients, and he actually got barbecue sauce!”<br/>“Oh wow,” Leslie replied with a chuckle. “Maybe they won’t suck.”</p><p>***</p><p>When Ben came back into the room, the three kids were tiredly trudging over to Leslie and Ann and giving them hugs. Ann squeezed each of them tightly, relishing the feeling. Ben then took them upstairs, Leslie shouting a third goodnight to each of them. When Ben came back down, Leslie looked at him in surprise, and he smirked.<br/>“Hey- I can get them to go to bed on time!”<br/>“Thank god,” Leslie said with a tired smile, leaning over to kiss him. “Otherwise we would have both died a long time ago.”<br/>Ann laughed. “Well then I’m very glad of it.”<br/>Ben settled onto the sofa next to Leslie, casually looping his arm over the back of her. Ann couldn’t help but feel happy at the sight of them. They were so happy. And, not only that, but she was happy too. These really were strange times.</p><p>“What do you want for dinner?” Leslie asked her. “The triplets ate just before you arrived.”<br/>“Well she obviously wants takeout, surely,” Ben cut in. “If I know Chris, I bet they’re few and far between.”<br/>“They are,” Ann said with a smirk. “But I don’t mind it. If I had takeout all the time, I'd probably balloon.”<br/>“You look great,” Leslie told her. “But you would look great any way, my opalescent tree shark.”<br/>“<em>My</em>?” Ben echoed quietly, while Ann laughed.<br/>“But yeah, takeout sounds great. What’s good in Washington?”<br/>“That’s a good question,” Ben replied. “Leslie and I have sampled many of the different places. Haven’t we, honey?”<br/>Leslie kissed him again. “You’re so sexy when you’re talking about food. And anything.”<br/>They decided to go for pizza, so they could compare it to Chris’ meal, which actually looked appetizing, going off the pictures, but it seemed Oliver and Leslie were more eager to have a flour fight than make dinner.</p><p>When the food was ordered, Ben put on a film he knew Ann liked, and the three of them settled down to watch. Ben was holding Leslie, but then Leslie’s head went onto Ann’s shoulder, and Ann rested her head on her.<br/>“It’s so good to see you,” Leslie told her. <br/>Ann smiled. “It’s good to see you too. It’s always good to see you. You too, Ben. And the kids. They’re so adorable.”<br/>Ben chuckled. “Yeah, when they’re not being little monsters. But we wouldn’t change it.”<br/>“No,” Leslie said happily. “Not for the world.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you enjoyed!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Another Pillow Fight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ben can't help the feelings of déjà vu when he has yet another pillow fight with his insane roommates. However, one thing is different: Leslie's there. And she'll defend him till her dying breath.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sorry I made y'all wait</p><p>it's pillow fight time xD</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben wakes up slowly, his arm draped over Leslie and her back against his front.</p><p>He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before due to campaign errands, but what's bothering him more is his overwhelming feeling that he knows <em>exactly </em>who woke him up.</p><p>However, he has no proof. His bedroom door is closed, Leslie is still (miraculously) asleep, and he can't see them hiding anywhere in his room. While April is sneaky, her husband definitely isn't, and Andy would've given them away instantly.</p><p>He gently moves away from Leslie and kisses her forehead before bolstering himself up on his forearms and then getting out of bed.</p><p>When he hears whispering outside his door, he knows he has his proof.</p><p>While he's debating on whether or not to open the door, Leslie shifts in his bed and wakes up. "What's going on?"</p><p>While normally he would be focusing on how adorable sleepy Leslie is, he has another task at hand. One that involved getting away from his psycho roommates.</p><p>They should be lucky he doesn't have a gun.</p><p>Ben disobeys all the thoughts in his head not to open the door. When he does, he's instantly pelted with marshmallows.</p><p>He does the same thing he did the first day they did that to him and doesn't react.</p><p>"Why?" He asks. It's a one-word question, but it holds a lot if meaning that both parties understand.</p><p>"Why not?" Andy counters instantly, which surprises him. Andy's never been one to think on his feet.</p><p>April's standing behind Andy, so Ben doesn't notice the pillows she holds behind her back until its too late.</p><p>She throws the pillow, and he's instantly taken aback, blinded by the white fabric, but he shields that with a look of disgust and his pushing the pillow away.</p><p>They've somehow made it to the kitchen at this point, likely through absent-minded inching away from the narrow hallway. Leslie chooses this moment to come out of Ben's bedroom, her sleepy resolve long since faded and two pillows in her arms.</p><p>Ben, who doesn't notice Leslie, can't help but get déjà vu, a pillow fight not too many months before reentering his mind, but that's not to say this is the first time April and Andy have tormented him since that incident.</p><p>An evil grin overtakes Leslie's neutral expression, and she throws one of the pillows at April, who yelps in surprise.</p><p>Ben looks over to his left at the culprit, and can't help but match Leslie's grin, which puts him in a vulnerable position because Andy decides to continue the fight by tossing the fallen pillow at him.</p><p>Pretty soon, it's a full-blown pillow fight. And marshmallow fight. Ben still can't seem to understand what brought April and Andy to buy that hellish item, although he can't say he's surprised.</p><p>"Ben!" Leslie calls. Ben turns to look at her, and she tosses the second pillow she holds for him to catch. Ben's certainly appreciative of the gesture, using the pillow to catch April in surprise.</p><p>"Why's everybody targeting me?" She whines to Andy, not realizing Ben could hear her.</p><p>"April, you put a sardine in my sandwich yesterday when I left to go to the bathroom," Leslie says incredulously.</p><p>"I thought it was Ben's," she admits, an evil glint forming in her eye as she grabs a pillow from Andy and throws it at Ben.</p><p>Ben stumbles, and Leslie springs into action, jogging closer to him to help him up in case he falls.</p><p>April's gaze switches from Ben to Leslie, and Ben, after regaining his balance, subconsiously places his arm in front of Leslie in a protective stance while still looking at April, who rolls her eyes at the action.</p><p>"I'm not gonna murder her, Ben," April says sarcastically.</p><p>"I never know with you," Ben defends.</p><p>Her eyes darken and she throws the pillow at Leslie, who casually blocks the pillow one-handedly.</p><p>"As much as I'd <em>love</em> to continue this, we have things to do," Ben says, looking at Leslie as he does.</p><p>"I better not hear any sex noises!" April calls as they go back to his bedroom, shooting one last marshmallow at Ben's retreating figure.</p><p>Ben turns around, his face evidently a shade darker in embarrassment, and says, "April that's not— we're not— it's just campaign stuff."</p><p>"Right."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know what you thought! :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Happy Again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ann knows Leslie loves Mark.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Flor gave me this idea!!</p><p>I HATE that this chapter meant I had to add Mark to the character list lmaooo</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been going on for a few weeks now. Ann was certain there was something going on, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Leslie was always on edge when Ann brought up Mark. At first, Ann thought it might have been because Leslie was protective of Ann. That certainly had been the case before, and Mark had in the past been known to… womanise.<br/>
Things changed when Ann told Leslie about their first proper date- how he had spoken so softly to her, and held her, and they had slept together. She described it perfectly, leaving out the lewder aspects of course. And Leslie had… cringed.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” Ann asked, feeling her stomach sink.<br/>
“N-nothing!” Leslie replied instantly. She forced a smile. “Keep going.”<br/>
Ann had felt a little put out. She was finally in a relationship with somebody mature- and that was all she had wanted, really. Somebody with a bank account. Somebody with goals.<br/>
And Leslie was, to put it bluntly, making her feel worried. Ann didn’t want to accuse her best friend of anything, but now she had reason to believe that Leslie liked Mark. And Leslie had <em>sworn </em>that she was over him. In fact, she had actively encouraged them to get together.<br/>
Strangely, though, Ann wasn’t annoyed. She was just worried.</p><p>“Mark,” Ann said one night. “Has Leslie seemed… off, to you?”<br/>
Mark shrugged, his eyes on the football game. “Nope. Why?”<br/>
“I don’t know. She’s been acting weird. I’m worried.”<br/>
Mark finally tore his eyes away to look at her, smiling.<br/>
“It’s Leslie. She’ll be fine. And if you’re worried, just talk to her.”<br/>
“Yeah…” Ann echoed, frowning.</p><p>But talking had become a lot harder. Things escalated and, after the fourth day of Leslie blowing her off and eating lunch alone in her office, Ann knew that she had to confront her. Leslie had withdrawn, and the fact that she may like Ann’s boyfriend didn’t stop Ann from wanting to know the truth. She wanted her best friend to be happy, and she wanted to see her so they could talk. But that was becoming hard- Leslie was avoiding her. Leslie never avoided an opportunity to hang out before, and that only confirmed the truth even more.</p><p>***</p><p>Ann was waiting outside the Parks and Recreation Department, not sure whether or not to enter. It was past five, but Leslie hadn’t left yet. She needed to talk to her- to find out the truth.<br/>
After plucking up the courage, she decided to just enter the room, just as Tom was leaving.<br/>
<em>“Annie Lennox!”</em> he called out to her. Ann rolled her eyes.<br/>
“Where’s Leslie?”<br/>
“Talkin’ to Ron. Sounded important- she would never make him stay after five, but he has.”<br/>
Ann frowned. “What’s it about?”<br/>
“No idea!” he replied. “Should we go out to dinner and discuss it further?”<br/>
Ann rolled her eyes. “Get going, loser.”<br/>
Tom left, disgruntled, and Ann hovered outside Ron’s office. She didn’t want to listen in, but the door <em>was </em>open….</p><p>Leslie sounded stressed. Ann felt her heart clench as she listened to Leslie.<br/>
“Ron!” she was saying. “I can’t keep avoiding her, she’s going to notice something’s wrong sooner or later!”<br/>
“Then confront her,” Ron replied. “Leslie, avoiding the truth isn’t going to make the problem go away.”<br/>
Ann felt her heart clench. So… she <em>did </em>love Mark. And she’d made herself miserable. Ann wanted to go in and hug her, but then what Leslie said next made her freeze in place.<br/>
“Ron, I can’t just walk up to her and say <em>hey, I love you, and I always have, Ann!”</em><br/>
Ann felt her stomach flip over. She stepped back, away from the door, her mind whirring.<br/>
She shouldn’t have listened in. It <em>did</em> make sense now, but the truth was so incomprehensible that Ann had to go. She had to go and think. And think some more.</p><p>She fled.</p><p>***</p><p>“What’s up Ann?” Mark asked. “Why are you so quiet?”<br/>
“I don’t know.” Ann replied. “It’s- it’s nothing. I’m fine.”<br/>
She wasn’t fine- her mind was <em>reeling</em>. Her best friend was in love with her, and she didn’t know what to do.<br/>
She was with Mark, for goodness sake. Mark, who was… well, he was nice. And smart. And he had a house.<br/>
But Leslie was all of those things too. And she had goals- goals that were bigger than anyone else’s.<br/>
Was Ann just with Mark because he <em>wasn’t </em>Andy? He had seemed like a good choice at the time. Andy was such a loser, and Mark was… well, he was boring and an adult. Which was a step up from a crazy man-child. Mark was nice, but he wasn’t exactly spectacular. He was nice to her- that was the bare minimum.<br/>
And she had so much fun with Leslie- those countless beautiful nights, staying up until the morning, talking about everything they wanted to. All that Leslie had done for her, all they had been through.<br/>
<br/>
No secrets. No pain. Until now.</p><p>And it was unbearable. She- she wanted Leslie. She wanted to be with Leslie.</p><p>Holy shit. She loved Leslie. She loved Leslie Knope with all of her heart. </p><p>Ann swallowed, letting the realisation hit her.<br/>
“Mark,” she said softly. “I’m sorry. We need to talk.”</p><p>***</p><p>Leslie had been in her house all weekend. She had ignored her phone, opting to focus on work. Work for the next six to eight years.<br/>
There was a gentle rapping on the front door, so soft that Leslie almost didn’t hear it at first. But when it happened again, more urgently, Leslie was pulled out of her fervour.<br/>
She stumbled to the door. When she opened it to see beautiful Ann Perkins, her stomach lurched.<br/>
“Ann…”<br/>
“You’ve been ignoring me,” Ann said immediately, and Leslie felt that agony hit.<br/>
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.<br/>
“It’s okay,” Ann replied. “I know why.”<br/>
“No- you don’t,” Leslie said. “I know you think I love Mark. I’m not stupid, Ann. But the truth, I… I couldn’t hurt either of you.”<br/>
“Hey,” Ann whispered, stepping closer and cupping her face, her hands impossibly gentle. “I know you. And I know you would never hurt me. Okay?”<br/>
“Okay…”<br/>
“And, actually, I’m sorry to tell you, but I <em>do </em>know the truth. I heard you talking to Ron.”</p><p>A beat. Leslie swallowed.</p><p>“You did?”<br/>
“I’m sorry I didn’t stay to talk. I had some thinking to do.”<br/>
Leslie’s face crumpled. “I’m so sorry.”<br/>
“No,” Ann told her. “You stepped back to try and save my feelings. And you made yourself miserable.” She smiled softly. “I’m here to make you happy again.”<br/>
Leslie felt her breath hitch. “You are?”</p><p>Ann closed the gap between them with a soft, sweet kiss, and Leslie felt her fears evaporate. It was everything she could have ever wanted, and soon she was kissing Ann back with passion. The two of them, stood on Leslie’s doorstep, finally feeling like things were going right.</p><p>“Wait!” Leslie said, pulling back. “What about Mark?”<br/>
“It’s over with Mark,” Ann told her. “It’s over. It’s done.”<br/>
Leslie’s eyes softened. “Ann…”<br/>
“No. It was the right decision. He hasn’t ever made me happy, Leslie. I want to be happy again too.”<br/>
Leslie chuckled. “And I can make you happy?”<br/>
“You can.”<br/>
Leslie laughed, and kissed her again. Ann melted into it, and finally things felt right.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you enjoyed!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Take a Break</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie and Ben Skype while he's in D.C.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I don't know what to put here except lol</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben is used to a lot of things. His psychotic roommates, his workaholic girlfriend, and his low alcohol tolerance, just to name a few. What he's not used to, however, is being away from his workaholic girlfriend, even though it has been a few months since he moved to D.C. He still reaches for her in the middle of the night when he's sleeping and expects to wake up with her beside him. </p><p>He's probably not getting used to it because he doesn't want to, but he probably wouldn't be able to if he tried. </p><p>It's 6pm; Leslie probably left work an hour ago, assuming she's not staying there until after midnight again, which, to be fair, is a really big if. He's told her before that it's not safe to leave City Hall in the middle of the night. Hopefully she listened to him this time. </p><p>Opening his laptop and signing into Skype, he sends a quick call over to her, tapping his fingers against the counter in perfect synchronisation with the ring. </p><p>After 4 rings pass, he's about to give up and end the call when suddenly Leslie's face pops up on his screen. </p><p>"Hi, Ben!" She says, a little too energetically.</p><p>"Uh, hi. Are you okay?" </p><p>"Kind of? I was working on something and then I got burned out, but then I found the perfect cure!" </p><p>Ben groans. "Sugar?" </p><p>"Yup!" Leslie grins, grabbing something from her right side and shoving it quickly into her mouth. </p><p>"You're gonna crash soon, you know that, right?" </p><p>"I'm currently in denial, so I would prefer we didn't talk about that. Anyway, what's up?" </p><p>"Just missed you," Ben says, a shy smile unknowingly forming on his face as he looks at her. </p><p>"I miss you too! When are you coming to visit?" </p><p>"I think I have some time in a couple of weeks." </p><p>"Weeks? I can't wait that long!" Leslie whines. </p><p>"I know, I'm sorry." </p><p>"I've been spending a lot of time with Andy lately. April's gone, so..." Leslie trails off. </p><p>"Good Lord, how has that gone so far?" </p><p>"Not so well. I came over to make him dinner, because I'm pretty sure all he eats are gummy worms and beef jerky." </p><p>"Can confirm, I live with him." </p><p>"Exactly. Anyway, the dinner somehow ended with me cleaning spaghetti off the ceiling?" Leslie says this in a questioning tone, a yawn taking over the last part of the sentence. Yeah, she's definitely crashing. </p><p>"That's... not surprising."</p><p>"You need to move out of there," Leslie says seriously. </p><p>"I really do." </p><p>"We should move in together," Leslie blurts out after a beat or two of silence. "If that's something you want to do, of course."</p><p>"Uh, yeah, we should definitely do that," Ben says, feeling a blush overtaking his pale features. Suddenly, the blush disappears as he remembers the state of Leslie's house. </p><p>"Ben? You okay?" </p><p>"Yeah, it's just, we're not moving into your house, right?"</p><p>"What? Why not?"</p><p>"Well, for one thing, your house is a scary nightmare hoarder nest." </p><p>"That's just your opinion!" Leslie shoots back, crossing her arms and glaring at him. She's scowling at him, a perfect contrast to her previously happy expression. If Ben were there in person, he'd have kissed that scowl right off her face. </p><p>But he's not, he remembers. He's not. </p><p>He shakes his head as he remembers what they were talking about, a smirk appearing on his face. "Oh yeah? Want me to call Ann?" He challenges her, and the scowl turns into a frown, a silent admittance of defeat. </p><p>"I hate you," Leslie says. </p><p>"I love you too," Ben says back to her as he rolls his eyes.</p><p>"We can get a new house." </p><p>"Deal. Coming back to a sticky and probably bad-smelling house does not sound very appealing."</p><p>"And they do not know what privacy is." </p><p>Both their faces redden as memories of April and Andy bursting in on them in a somewhat compromising position in Ben's bedroom flood back into their minds. Fortunately for them, they have quick reflexes. And sheets. Thank God for those.</p><p>"That's the last time I forget to lock the door," Ben mutters, yawning. </p><p>"Ben, are you tired? We don't have to keep talking if you want to go to bed early." </p><p>"No, but I have to go make dinner soon. More importantly, you should really take a break," he says, noting the way Leslie's eyelids flutter like she's trying to keep herself awake. </p><p>"You were my break."</p><p>"Wow, I feel so loved. Also, that's not going to cut it.  You need to get some rest. And probably eat actual food instead of those Nutriyum bars." </p><p>"How did you know that's what I was eating?" </p><p>"Just a guess. I should go. Take a break. I love you."</p><p>"I love you too. And no." </p><p>"Leslie—" </p><p>"Fine," she says, blowing a kiss to him before she hangs up. </p><p>As he closes his computer, he can't help but feel his heart skip a beat at the thought of actually living with her. Quickly after that, his stomach drops as he remembers that he still has to be here. Living with her is something that won't happen for a while. Still, it's something to look forward to. </p><p>For now, he just hopes she followed his advice and actually took a break.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>meow</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Dancing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ben takes Leslie out dancing. It's a new experience for both of them.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>**Warning for slight smut**<br/>I've started a job as an assistant film producer so all my fics might be updated less regularly.<br/>I hope you enjoy this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Is this really the first time we’re going out dancing?” Leslie asked. Her phone was resting on the beside table, and she was stood next to it, holding up a dress to the mirror to see if it would work.<br/>Ben’s laugh came through the loudspeaker, the quality making it sound tinny, but Leslie loved it nonetheless.<br/><em>“Have you seen me dance?” </em>came his response. <em>“I’m surprised it’s happening at all.”<br/></em>“It must be my powers of persuasion,” Leslie replied with a laugh.<br/><em>“You got that right.”<br/></em>“And for the record, I <em>have </em>seen you dance, and I thought it was cute.”<br/><em>“Well get ready for a cute overload, because I’m… actually excited for this. I’m going to dance my pants off for you, Leslie Knope.”<br/></em>Leslie heard him chuckle at his own joke before she replied with: “I hope your pants come all the way off, Ben Wyatt.”<br/><em>That </em>shut him up. For a good five seconds, and Leslie was left smirking at her own reflection. Finally, Ben replied.<br/><em>“We’ll see how it goes.”<br/></em>Leslie grinned to herself. Oh, they would.</p><p>***</p><p>The reason they were going out at all was because Donna told them that couples got in for half price on Fridays at the Snakehole. She had told them discreetly- maybe she wanted them to have a date night, or maybe she was worried about one of the other office couples ruining the vibe, Leslie wasn’t sure. She for one would have loved to have her friends there, but the more she thought about it, the more she wanted a date night with Ben. Just the two of them.</p><p>Ben was picking her up in ten minutes. That left eight minutes to finish her makeup, and two minutes to look at herself in the mirror and worry that she had overdone it.<br/>She had gone with a dark dress. It was black, but when it hit the light a certain way, glitter on the dress made it light up. It was a good cut for her body shape, and Ben had bought it for her not one week prior.<br/>All this had really come at the right time, because she had wanted an excuse to feel good in herself for a while. And who better to feel good with than the one person who made her feel good the most? Aside from Ann, obviously, but she doubted Ann would want her tongue down her throat tonight. Not without the promise of ice cream first.</p><p>Her mind had drifted to a government plan when she heard the clangy ding-dong of her doorbell. Her whole house was old- it had been her family home, before her mother downsized to a more reasonable flat, given the fact that she didn’t need the space. Marlene’s words, not her. Leslie had wondered in the past if she herself should downsize. It would cut down the opportunity for her to hoarde as much and, until recently, Leslie hadn’t seen herself having a family.</p><p>Until she met Ben. It hadn’t been long. This was their second shot at love with each other. The first time had been wonderful, but this time round, it felt right. And now she was seeing his face in her future- every single turn, every obstacle.<br/>The first time it had been uncertain, messy, and hesitant. This time round… sure, it was still uncertain and messy, especially with the campaign. But there was no hesitation at all. She was going at it full throttle, and hoping he would too.</p><p>***</p><p>“Good evening, madame,” Ben said with vigour when Leslie opened the door. He was in a dress shirt and tight black jeans. Leslie almost wanted to take his pants off right here on the doorstep, he was so handsome. He had been grinning theatrically, but when she opened the door all the way, his face froze.<br/>“Woah!” he exclaimed, his inner nerd coming back out. “Woah- Leslie- you look incredible!”<br/>“It’s the dress you bought me,” Leslie replied shyly, swishing the ends of it left and right, loving how he was captivated by her.<br/>“I- I know,” Ben replied, before shaking himself. He leant over to kiss her, and Leslie melted into it instantly. Her hands graced his chest, before moving down to his jeans. She put her hand on the top of his thigh, rubbing slowly, and he groaned. Then she was bringing her hands up to his back, and her breath caught in her throat when his hands were on her chest.<br/>“I thought the pants were coming off <em>after </em>the dancing,” he whispered.<br/>“Oh they are,” Leslie shot back coyly. “I’m just giving you a preview.”</p><p>***</p><p>They got a taxi to the club. Ben was unnaturally confident tonight. Maybe he knew he looked good. Leslie had told him seventeen times, after all. And each time, he had told her that she looked better. But that didn’t stop the shy smile on his face when he looked down at his shirt, or when he smoothed his jeans. Leslie was happy to see him so confident in himself, for once. It almost reminded her of when they had first met. He was so certain, and almost forcefully confident in the way he ran his job. Leslie had hated him for it- but she couldn’t deny that she had found it unspeakably attractive. He was here to slash her budget, sure, but every document he presented sealing their doom had been so well-filed. It was a good job he had fallen for her, really.</p><p>They got out the taxi, and Ben’s hand easily found Leslie’s He was leading her into the club, and she was squeezing his hand when the crowds got thick. If they let go of each other, they could get lost. Best to stay as close as possible.<br/>Ben headed straight to the bar, and he ordered four shots.<br/>“Alright!” Leslie said excitedly. “I’m liking your energy tonight, Wyatt!”<br/>“We’re forgetting about the campaign for tonight,” Ben told her. “We’ve both worked so hard this week, we need a break.”<br/>“You’re the best,” Leslie told him, sincerely. Ben smiled at her.<br/>“Well, we couldn’t afford a break if we didn’t have such an <em>excellent</em> candidate.”<br/>“Oh yeah?” Leslie asked, and then she was kissing him again.<br/>They were interrupted when the barman coughed, prompting Ben to pull back and pay their bill. They then turned their attention to the four shots in front of them.<br/>“What flavour?” Leslie asked. She had been too busy admiring how confident he had been ordering the drinks to pay attention.<br/>“Watermelon,” he replied. “A bit unusual, but it’s all part of the experience, right?”<br/>“Right. I mean, this whole place is a bit unusual.”<br/>“Too right.”</p><p>They necked both shots in quick succession. Leslie knew that two shots would get Ben in the mood to party. There had been a time when they weren’t able to dance together in the club, back when they longed for each other from afar. Oh, how times had changed.<br/>The man she loved was pulling her onto the dance floor, and they were going for it. And Leslie laughed immediately, because when Ben went for it… well, it was a sight to behold.<br/>“Look at you!” Leslie shouted over the thumping music. “Dancing your pants off!”<br/>“Hell yeah!” Ben shouted back.<br/>Leslie and Ben danced and danced. It was electric- there were people around them, but all they could feel, all they could sense, were each other. It was the pulsing music, pulling them into an atmosphere that was indescribable. Then Leslie was kissing him, and Ben’s hands were in her hair. They were being jostled by other club-goers, but Ben’s hands were on her back, keeping her safe.</p><p>When they pulled back, they both had matching grins on their faces.<br/>“Thank you for coming out with me tonight,” Leslie told him.<br/>“Of course!” Ben replied. “I may not be a good dancer, but I’ll dance with you any day, Leslie.”<br/>Leslie blushed, but in this lighting it was hard to tell.<br/>“You’re acting differently tonight,” Leslie commented. “Not in a bad way, you just- you seem more confident!”<br/>“I wanted to give you the full experience!” Ben replied with a smile. “I wanted to take you out to a club and buy you a drink and dance with you all night long. I know you've not exactly had that from a boyfriend before, so I wanted to change that.”<br/>Leslie nearly melted on the spot.<br/>“I love this side to you,” Leslie told him. “But I love every side to you.” She increased the volume of her voice and stood on her tiptoes to his ear. “Watching films with nerdy Ben, napping with tired Ben. I love <em>all</em> of you. Okay?”<br/>“Thank you, babe, I know.” Ben told her. “I was more than happy to do this, I promise..”<br/>Leslie just smiled, and Ben’s eyes widened.<br/>“Oh!” he said. “And I love you too!”<br/>Leslie chuckled. <em>There</em> was her dork.</p><p>***</p><p>They got home at just past two o’clock in the morning. Home that night was Leslie’s house. Of course, home was wherever the other person was, really. But as romantic a notion as that was, pillow fort and Gatorade night at the Ludgate-Dwyer residence wasn’t really their vibe that night, so they returned to Leslie’s hoarder house.<br/>The two of them stumbled drunkenly over at least four boxes on the way to the bedroom. They had each had six shots that night, and the two of them were giggling wildly. Leslie was singing the last song of the night under her breath as she opened the bedroom door.<br/>And then Ben was unzipping her dress, and she stepped out of it just to turn around and unbutton Ben’s shirt. They were hungry and eager. That was paused when Ben started swaying as he took off his jeans. Leslie looked at him.<br/>"I'm dancing my pants off!" he whispered, and Leslie laughed.<br/>"You're a loser. I love you."<br/>Soon, they were both totally bare in front of each other, and that hunger turned to desperate, passionate kisses. Kisses turned to touching, touching turned into, well…<br/>“I love you,” Ben was moaning.<br/>“I love you too,” Leslie mirrored, and then her back was arching under his pressure, and she was coming undone beneath him. He fell on top of her, breathless.</p><p>***</p><p>“That was a good night,” Ben whispered, a little later. “We should do it again.”<br/>“You want to?” Leslie asked. “It’s not too out of your comfort zone?”<br/>“Nah,” Ben said with a smile. “And if you can take one night off for me, I can certainly dress up and dance for you.”<br/>Leslie sighed happily in his arms. Sometimes, making tiny changes in yourself for the benefit of the other person was worth it. Neither of them would ask the other to change, but they found that, as their relationship grew and blossomed, those tiny changes were exciting. And it just made them love each other even more.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Mistletoe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>An AU where Leslie and Ben struggle with the rules during Christmas time.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I know some of this may be OOC, especially for Leslie, so I want to address that here. </p><p>I took a tiny bit of inspiration from a book I read recently. That's where the dialogue "I'm no prize" came from. I also took some inspiration from Leslie's point of view during their pining/non-relationship because they both didn't seem to have clarity on a lot of things. That coupled with this random prompt that's been in my head forever and the fact that both Ben and Leslie are so oblivious (lol) to their feelings that it HURTS brought this fic to life. </p><p>Anyways, if you read this, thank you. I hope you enjoy this one-shot! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leslie didn't know what she was thinking going to this party. Or maybe she does a little bit. </p><p>It was another one of Ann's parties, a Christmas one. Red and green decorations adorned the living room and kitchen. Most of the Parks gang were more than a little tipsy, and so were Ann's hospital friends. </p><p>Ben was there, too. Another reason she decided to come. The rules denied her right to kiss him, or date him, or do anything less than professional or friendly with him, but being at a party with him was nowhere near crossing that line, so was she really doing anything wrong? Besides, the spiked eggnog she drank was definitely entering her bloodstream, making the mental restraints she had when she soberly thought about him start to fall, allowing her imagination to run wild. </p><p>She'd only had one drink; Tom put way too much alcohol in the eggnog.</p><p>Anyways, back to what happened.</p><p>It all started when Leslie was standing alone, leaning against the kitchen counter. Ben must've seen her looking bored, because he approached her with a shy smile on his face.</p><p>"Hey, what's up?" Leslie asked, her eyes lighting up the moment she saw him.</p><p>"Not much. I just wanted to get away from April and Andy," Ben said as he gestured over to them. April was straddling Andy's lap as they made out passionately, and yeah, Ben's discomfort was justified.</p><p>"Yeah, good call."</p><p>An awkward silence fell over both of them, which didn't seem possible given the loud music that was playing in the background.</p><p>"Anything on your mind?" Leslie blurted out in an effort to make some kind of conversation with him. </p><p>"Uh, not really. This music is way too loud, though."</p><p>"Never let Tom take control of the music," Leslie said seriously.</p><p>"Too late for that," Ben said as he looked over at Tom, who was dancing terribly while dressed head-to-toe in a sparkling silver outfit, mistletoe taped to his forehead.</p><p>"I don't think he realizes how he looks, especially with that mistletoe," Ben said.</p><p>"He's been following Ann all night with that mistletoe. I think she's hiding in the bathroom right now."</p><p>"Understandable."</p><p>A silence fell over them again, but it was different. It wasn't an awkward one, but one where they maintained eye contact with a genuine smile on both of their faces, feeling content with their quietude.</p><p>"Yo, roomie! You and Leslie are standing under the mistletoe!" Andy suddenly called out to Ben, a beer in his hand. Leslie's eyes widened, and she and Ben simultaneously looked up to see the green mistletoe pinned to the ceiling.</p><p>Everyone was looking at them at that point, and while Leslie had the mindset of just doing it and getting it over with to end the embarrassment (yeah, that's the reason), Ben had the look of a deer caught in headlights on his face.</p><p>"We don't have to if you don't want to," Leslie said, and she genuinely meant it, because while she was comfortable kissing him now, she'd rather kiss him in a more natural setting, where it wasn't forced on the both of them. She internally cursed herself for thinking that, which was a nice distraction from the pang of hurt she couldn't stop herself from feeling at Ben's discomfort.</p><p>"No, that's the rules! You have to kiss," April said, egging them on.</p><p>Leslie quickly realized that she had to do something before... she doesn't know what, but she couldn't keep dragging out the awkward moment. She stepped up on her tip-toes, grabbing his shoulders to steady herself, and then kissed his cheek softly before letting go.</p><p>"Don't worry about it," she said, walking off to the bathroom that she was almost certain Ann was in listening to the situation while trying to ignore everyone's surprising annoyance at Ben.</p><p>//</p><p>"What happened out there?" Ann asked, but it was pretty obvious she already knew and just wanted to hear Leslie's side.</p><p>"Uhh, mistletoe. Me and Ben."</p><p>"Up to speed. Did you kiss? I couldn't tell," she said, but this time, she sounded like she truly didn't know.</p><p>"Uh, no. To be honest, Ben looked like he'd rather get a root canal," Leslie said softly, breaking eye contact with Ann to stare down at the white tiles of the bathroom floor.</p><p>"Well, that's good, right? It's against the rules anyway," Ann said.</p><p>"I know what you're doing, Ann."</p><p>"I'm not doing anything."</p><p>"Right. I guess I can't blame him. It was an awkward situation to be in," Leslie said, staring at her nails. </p><p>"Something tells me you're not entirely convinced." </p><p>"It's just– it wouldn't have been so bad, you know? At least for me."</p><p>"I know. Just look on the bright side. I can't believe <em>I'm</em> the one telling <em>y</em><em>ou </em>that," Ann joked. "If you had kissed, things would have gotten complicated. You want to keep your job, right?"</p><p>"Yeah. It's already complicated, though. But, you know, maybe he just–maybe he just didn't want to kiss me," Leslie suggested.</p><p>Ann narrowed her eyes at that but said nothing, which was probably for the best. "Right. Just talk to him about it."</p><p>"I'll try," Leslie promised.</p><p>//</p><p>"Hey, Leslie," Ben said, leaning against the doorway of her office.</p><p>"Hey!" She said, smiling at him. He tried to ignore the sweating of his palms and his heart skipping a beat, but it was no use.</p><p>"Is there somewhere we can go to talk in private?"</p><p>"We're alone here," Leslie said confusedly.</p><p>"I know... It's just– I'd feel better if we went somewhere else," he explained, fidgeting a little as he looked outside the window at Tom and Jean-Ralphio jumping up and down. </p><p>"Oh, okay. I know somewhere we can go."</p><p>She got up and gently took his wrist to guide him into the hallway before letting go, Ben instantly missing the contact when she did.</p><p>He followed her into an empty closet.</p><p>"Is this okay?" She asked, and she wasn't sure if she was just talking about the setting. Maybe it was the fact that they were standing a little too close to each other.</p><p>"Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.</p><p>"What's up?"</p><p>"I just... wanted to make sure there were no hard feelings about what happened last night."</p><p>"Nothing did happen last night, Ben." Her voice was sullen, but clear, like she had rehearsed that part of the conversation. He knows <em>he</em> did.</p><p>"Right. It was just weird. I hope I didn't hurt your feelings."</p><p>"Don't worry about it. It's not the first time someone didn't want to kiss me," she joked.</p><p>"Well, did you want to kiss <em>me</em>?" Ben couldn't stop himself from asking.</p><p>Leslie fell silent for a moment, like she didn't anticipate him saying that. "I just meant that I was comfortable with it. I mean, we're friends, aren't we? And mistletoe is a classic."</p><p>"Yeah, that's true."</p><p>"I wasn't vehemently against it, but I can see why you would be. It is awkward, after all."</p><p>Ben stood there in shock for a few moments about how she didn't seem to notice his strong feelings for her, because this whole time he felt like he was being obvious. There was a hint of insecurity lacing her voice, and his instincts told him to do something about it, but his own insecurity held him back.</p><p>"Besides, I'm no prize," Leslie said, chuckling.</p><p>Ben's resolve faded, his facial expression turning into one of repressed anger, his lips pressing into a thin line. "You really think that?"</p><p>"Don't you?"</p><p>"God, you really don't get it, do you?" Ben muttered self-deprecatingly.</p><p>"Get what?"</p><p>Ben took a step toward Leslie, causing her to take a step back. Not out of fear, he knew, but instinct. The obligation to give each other space in a futile effort to ease the tension. But something in him snapped, and the rules and all the things he had been reminding himself all these months he wasn't supposed to do seemed unimportant in that moment.</p><p>At some point, they'd ended up with Leslie's back against the wall and Ben pinning her gently in place.</p><p>He leaned forward, kissing her hard. Leslie was taken by surprise for a second, but quickly reciprocated, her arms moving up to cup his neck and pull him closer.</p><p>Their hands quickly began to explore each other's bodies, Ben's moving up and down her back and Leslie's resting against his chest.</p><p>After what felt like hours but still not enough time, they separated to catch their breaths.</p><p>"Well," Leslie said. "We broke a rule."</p><p>Her lipstick was smudged and her eyes were sparkling while she looked up at him with a hint of shyness.</p><p>"Yeah, we did. How do you feel about that?"</p><p>"Pretty damn good, actually," Leslie replied.</p><p>"Me too."</p><p>"Do you want to come over to mine to... talk?" She paused before she said that last word, sending a message that while they definitely were going to talk, that wasn't the only thing on the agenda. She was about to clarify that before he interrupted.</p><p>"Yeah, that– that sounds good."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i've recently learned that one shots don't have to be one scene so yay for that xD</p><p>also should I post this as a standalone too?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Caught in a Trap</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie and Andy come across some trouble in the woods.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This one is SO LONG I can only apologise</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What the hell did I tell you? These woods are dangerous!”<br/>
“Leslie I’m so sorry, but I can’t even look down right now, I might throw up.”<br/>
“<em>You </em>might throw up, Andy? How the hell do you think <em>I </em>feel?!”</p><p>***</p><p>Leslie and Andy had been on one of Leslie’s wilderness surveillance missions. She had taken on a lot of extra work now she was on City Council, and one of them involved cleaning up the nature in Pawnee.<br/>
After getting a call from a concerned citizen about potential hazardous materials in the woods behind Ramsett Park Lake, Leslie and Andy had decided to go out and have a look. Andy had begged her to do something with him today because he was "totally bored and might also die" without his wife. Ben had his own Sweetums emergency, as he called it, before telling Leslie in a deadpan tone that that probably just meant that Jessica had some problem in the office that needed his attention.<br/>
Either way, they had both been up early, and that meant breakfast waffles to get them in the mood for “a day of sunshine and community service.”</p><p>At 9:00am, Leslie said goodbye to Ben and drove to Andy’s house. She was expecting to have to go in there with a spray bottle and wake him up but Andy was, surprisingly, up early.<br/>
“I haven’t been to bed yet,” Andy explained with a grin. “I… I don’t know why. Maybe it was all the red bull and playing Halo all night.”<br/>
“You really thrive when April has to visit her grandparents, huh.”<br/>
“Yeah!"<br/>
"Remind me again why you're not with her?"<br/>
"She forbade me from coming with her because last time I broke some old vase and nearly gave her grandpa a heart attack. So, I’m really glad you called, Leslie! It’s gonna be fun!”<br/>
Andy hopped into the passenger seat, spilling the pile of documents Leslie had left resting on the dashboard, and Leslie wondered why she hadn’t asked somebody else.</p><p>By the time they got to the park, Leslie was having fun again. She liked Andy- he was a good friend, and he had the right amount of goofball energy that kept her happy when she just wanted to be snuggled down with Ben.<br/>
“That cloud looks like a doughnut. And that one looks like steak. Man, I’m hungry.”<br/>
“Alright, well, we can eat once we’ve looked at these woods. We need to be careful, okay? The complaint said that there were broken bottles and other hazardous materials in here, so I need you to keep a sharp eye.”<br/>
Andy nodded, yawning. “I’ll be as sharp as I can. Man, I’m tired.”<br/>
Leslie could sense an imminent calamity. “Okay, why don’t you stand here on the path while I go through the bushes with this rod and push the foliage back- Andy, are you listening?”<br/>
“Leslie! Look at that, it’s some metal thing on the floor!”</p><p>Andy ran over to it, and Leslie was hurrying to stop him when there was a loud clang, making them both jump in surprise.<br/>
Leslie felt a grip on her foot that was incredibly strong, and then a wave of pain hit.<br/>
“Oh god,” she said loudly. “Crap on a cracker."<br/>
She didn't want to look down, but she forced herself to, and her face paled.<br/>
"Oh god, Andy. My foot- my foot is stuck in a bear trap.”<br/>
Andy’s eyes were on stalks, and then he was grabbing his hair, stressed.<br/>
“Leslie! Holy sh- oh man, what do we do? Are you okay?!”<br/>
“My foot is <em>caught in a bear trap</em>, Andy! What were you even running for, anyway?”<br/>
Andy quickly checked. “It was just a shiny soda can. But wow, the edges on that are <em>sharp. </em>Soda cans shouldn’t be tossed on the floor- and that's why they’re a health hazard.”</p><p>Leslie felt like she wanted to rip her hair out.<br/>
“What the hell did I tell you? These woods are dangerous!”<br/>
“Leslie I’m so sorry, but also I can’t even look down right now, I might throw up.”<br/>
“<em>You </em>might throw up, Andy? How the hell do you think <em>I </em>feel?!”<br/>
The pain was intense, and Leslie was wobbling trying to stand stood up straight. If she fell over, she would have even more problems to deal with.<br/>
“Andy,” Leslie said calmly. “Listen to me. I can wiggle my toes, which is a good thing. But we need to find a way out of this.”<br/>
“We need Ron!” Andy exclaimed loudly. “He’s a wilderness master!”<br/>
“Okay,” Leslie said quickly. “Okay, good idea. Call Ron.”<br/>
Andy found his cell phone quickly, and Leslie was glad that he was finally doing something useful. After a few seconds, Andy was yelling down the phone.</p><p>“Ron! Ron! I know you say I shouldn’t call you, but this is an emergency!” He was listening intently, until he put the phone on loudspeaker. "He keeps complaining, Leslie, you talk to him."<br/>
“Ron!” Leslie yelled. “I need your help!”<br/>
<em>“Leslie?" </em>Ron asked. <em>"What’s going on?” </em><br/>
“Ron,” Leslie said, wincing in pain. “Ah- shit. My foot is caught in a bear trap. I can still feel my foot, but I don’t know what to do.”<br/>
“Neither do I!” Andy cut in, and Leslie gave him a look.<br/>
“Ron, what do we do?!” She wobbled again, and Andy was quickly grabbing her arm to keep her upright. He was strong, keeping her in place, and she gave him a soft smile.<br/>
<em>“Andy,” </em>Ron said slowly. <em>“I need you to help Leslie sit on the ground. Leslie, once you’re on the floor, you need to bend your leg slightly. Okay?”</em></p><p>Ron’s voice was calm, and that made Leslie feel a little bit better. Andy helped slowly lower her to the floor. She winced again, and she could tell Andy was anxious, so she gave him another smile.<br/>
“Thanks, Andy. Okay Ron, what now?”<br/>
"Yeah Ron," Andy said. "What do I do to help Leslie?"<br/>
<em>“Son, listen to me carefully,”</em> Ron said slowly. <em>“You need to place your hands on each of the springs. This will compress them, and Leslie should be able to extract her leg.”<br/>
</em>“I only understood about half of the words you just said but I think I know what I’m going,” Andy said quickly. Leslie had to believe he knew what he was doing, even though she wished the fate of her foot wasn’t in the hands of a man who once dropped every single hot dog at a campaign picnic.</p><p>Before he did anything, however, Andy squeezed Leslie’s shoulder.<br/>
“Everything’s gonna be fine,” he told her calmly. “I won’t let you down, Leslie.”<br/>
Leslie looked at him, surprised at his solemn nature.<br/>
“I- I know.”<br/>
Andy pressed down on the springs, and Leslie felt the pressure on her foot lessen slightly. Taking that as a good sign, she looked at Andy, who nodded, and she was able to pull her foot out of the trap, letting out a sharp hiss of pain. When she was finally free, she shuffled back a pace or two.<br/>
“Oh thank god,” Leslie moaned. “Ow, this really hurts.”<br/>
<em>“Are you free?” </em>Ron asked over the phone.<br/>
“I’m free.”<br/>
<em>“Okay Andy, now slowly let go of the springs.”<br/>
</em>Andy let go of the springs, and the trap clamped shut again.<em><br/>
</em> Thank you, Ron.” Leslie said into the phone. Then she looked at Andy, smiling. “And thanks to you too, Andy. You rescued my foot.”<br/>
“I’m sorry it was sort of my fault,” Andy said softly, hanging his head in shame.<br/>
“Well, you can drive me to the hospital, and we’ll call it even,” Leslie said with a smile.<br/>
<em>“Do you need my assistance any further?” </em>Ron asked, and Leslie had to roll her eyes fondly.<br/>
“No, Ron. You can go.”<br/>
<em>“Excellent.”</em></p><p>Leslie hung up the phone and sat there, a little stunned. She slowly peeled down her sock and saw a shock of purple bruising. Leslie and Andy looked at each other, both of them grimacing. Then Leslie looked at the bear trap. It was sort of terrifying, the way it glinted in the light. She was sort of glad she (quite literally) put her foot in it, because if anyone else did, god forbid a child, Leslie would feel like she totally failed as a member of the council. Andy looked at her.<br/>
"Are you okay, boss?"<br/>
“I’ll call the rangers to come and take care of this,” Leslie said after a second.<br/>
She gasped in surprise when Andy picked her up.<br/>
“You can call on the way back to the car,” he explained loudly. “We need to take you to the foot doctors.”<br/>
Andy looked really concerned, and Leslie smiled slightly.<br/>
“Okay, Andy. We’ll go now.”</p><p>***</p><p>When they arrived, Andy ran off to get a wheelchair. That was when Leslie got a text from Ben asking her what she wanted for dinner, and she realised with a jolt that she hadn’t told her husband what had happened.<br/>
She called him up, and Ben answered with a cheery hello after only a few rings.<br/>
<em>“Hey babe,”</em> Ben said before she could talk. <em>“God, I’m swamped in work. Things are totally crazy here. How’s it going with you?”</em><br/>
“Not much,” Leslie said breathlessly. “I’m in ER.”<br/>
<em>“What?! What happened?”<br/>
</em>“Ha, funny story, actually. Do you know the Elvis song <em>Caught in a Trap</em>?”<br/>
<em>“Leslie.”<br/>
</em>“Okay, we were in the woods and I was trying to stop Andy running into the bushes and long story short, I got my foot stuck in a bear trap." <br/>
<em>“Oh my god, are you okay?!”<br/>
</em>“Yeah, I think so. It’s pretty bruised and swollen but nothing was broken or anything.”<em><br/>
“That must have been terrifying, babe! I’ll leave work and come meet you.”<br/>
</em>Leslie considered. Ben was probably scared for her, but he had a lot going on in work, and he had only just gotten the job.<br/>
“No, honey, I think I’m okay. I’ve got Andy here, he can drive me home afterwards,” Leslie told him. “I’m honestly okay, just in a bit of pain.”<br/>
<em>“Okay,” </em>Ben replied, sceptically. <em>“Keep me updated, okay?”<br/>
</em>“I will. I love you.”<em><br/>
“I love you too.”</em></p><p>***</p><p>Ann hadn’t expected to see Andy Dwyer of all people sprinting into ER at eleven am on a Saturday morning. Her first thought was that he had done something stupid, but April wasn’t with him, and that filled Ann with worry.<br/>
“Andy?” Ann asked, surprised. “Why are you here? Is April okay?”<br/>
“Oh! Ann!” Andy practically yelled, panting heavily. “I ran in here. I need a wheelchair.”<br/>
“You do?” Ann asked, frowning. “Why, what's going on?”<br/>
“Leslie is with me. She got her foot stuck in a bear trap. It was huge! And it had these giant clampy things, and the only reason she got it stuck is because she was trying to stop me going into the bushes, because I saw this shiny soda can-”<br/>
Ann had stopped listening after “clampy things,” she had just started running out into the parking lot, grabbing a wheelchair as she went. Andy was next to her, spewing a load of information at her, but she just wanted to make sure Leslie was okay.<br/>
She was relieved to see Leslie perched on the passenger seat of her car with the door open, patiently waiting for somebody to come and assist her. When she saw Andy and Ann running round the corner, her eyes lit up.<br/>
“Ann! My beautiful, kind starfish!”<br/>
“Leslie!” Ann replied, dismayed. “Are you okay?”<br/>
“I think so,” Leslie said, grimacing as Ann helped her into the wheelchair. “It’s about as much as I expected, being a public servant.”<br/>
“Let’s get this looked at, okay?” Ann said, her gentle voice putting Leslie at ease.<br/>
“Yes please,” Leslie replied.<br/>
Andy had been rummaging in his pockets. “Leslie, I found a dollar, I’m going to buy you a candy bar from the vending machine! You said you were hungry.”<br/>
"That was you, Andy."<br/>
"Oh. Well I'll get you one anyway."</p><p>***</p><p>Leslie was alright. She had some heavy bruising, and she would need crutches for the next few days, and painkillers, but given the situation, she considered herself lucky.<br/>
She phoned Ben to tell him she was on the way home, and Ben told her he was leaving work and would stop off at JJ’s on the way back.<br/>
“I love you so much,” Leslie told him, before ending the call and turning to Ann, who pulled her in for a soft hug.<br/>
“I’ll come over after my shift,” Ann promised, squeezing her tightly.<br/>
“Thank you, beautiful Ann.”<br/>
“That must have been scary,” Ann told her when she finally released her. Leslie shrugged.<br/>
“It wasn’t so bad. Ron was really calm, and I had Andy with me. He really helped.”<br/>
Andy looked up from where he had been messing with a rubber band he found on the floor.<br/>
“I did?” Andy asked. “Really?”<br/>
“Yeah,” Leslie said with a laugh. “It was your idea to call Ron; you got my foot free. And you bought me a candy bar! You were just the person I needed.”<br/>
“I thought that would be Ron,” Andy replied, confused.<br/>
“Well, yeah,” Leslie said slowly. “But I’m glad you were there too.”<br/>
Andy and Leslie smiled at each other.</p><p>***</p><p>When Leslie got home, Ben was there with the waffles, as promised. His anxious face made Leslie’s heart swell with love, and she hobbled over to him and planted a kiss on his lips. They hugged, and Ben held her until she decided to let go. A sweet gesture he always did- he didn't know how long she wanted to hug for- how long she needed it- so he let her decide every time.<br/>
“Honey, how are you doing?” Ben asked. “Are you okay?”<br/>
“I am,” Leslie promised. “How was work?”<br/>
“Absolutely fine,” Ben told her.<br/>
“Good! Ann is coming over later, and Andy said he’s going to stay for a while too. Can we chill?”<br/>
Ben raised an eyebrow. “You? Chill?”<br/>
“Yeah,” she replied with a happy sigh. “I just want to chill out.”<br/>
“I’m glad you said that, because you are not leaving the couch for the next day and a half,” Ben told her. “I’ve got all your favourite snacks prepared, and we’ve got ten movies to choose from.”<br/>
“Oh! Yay!”<br/>
“Also, Ron is here. He’s fixing our living room lamp.”<br/>
Leslie’s eyes lit up, and Ben helped her move into the living room, where Ron gave her a friendly nod. Ben saw him relax slightly- Ron had been tense until he heard Leslie come through the door- and had to laugh to himself. Ron loved Leslie.</p><p>“Knope. Still in one piece, I see.”<br/>
“Yes, thanks to you and Andy.” Ben helped Leslie ease down onto the sofa, and she smiled at him. “Thanks, babe.”<br/>
Ben sat down next to her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”<br/>
“Not your fault,” Leslie replied instantly. “You’re here now. Besides, I had Ron on the phone, Andy got me out, Ann was my beautiful nurse… I am very lucky.”<br/>
Ben smiled widely, and even Ron’s lips quirked up a little. Andy, on the other hand, lay out across one of the sofas, and started snoring loudly.<br/>
“Oh yeah, he was up all night drinking red bull. He also tried to grab a shiny soda can in the bushes.”<br/>
Ron rolled his eyes. “Unsurprising.”<br/>
“But he got me out!” Leslie said with a grin. "He was wonderful."<br/>
Her phone went off, and it was Ann saying that she was on her way. Ben had his arm wrapped around her, Andy was happily sleeping, and Ron was now varnishing their mantlepiece.</p><p>Sure, her foot was bruised but, other than that, life was good.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0034"><h2>34. "You need to wake up because I can't do this without you."</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ann talks to Leslie while she's in a coma.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>why the fuck did I write this- </p><p>anyways, sorry it's been so long! I've been working on other writing projects and also school assignments so I haven't had a lot of time. I hope you enjoy this!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben sits in the hospital chair, refusing to let go of Leslie's hand even though it's late and he's tired and he wishes they were anywhere but here.</p><p>She's in a medically induced coma, has been for a few days, and it still feels like a dream.</p><p>If you asked Ben a week ago where he thought he'd be now, he'd never have guessed he'd be sitting in a hospital bed with his wife, praying to gods he's not really sure he believes in that she'll wake up and everything will be okay.</p><p>If only he'd convinced her not to go to work that morning, or delayed her for five extra minutes. Maybe then she wouldn't have been hit head-on by a drunk driver and she wouldn't be in critical condition and lying deathly still in the hospital.</p><p>It's unhealthy, but he can't help but blame himself, even though he had no way of knowing that this is the way things would turn out.</p><p>He hears a noise behind him and he turns around to see Ann standing there, circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept in a million years. He probably looks the same, he realizes.</p><p>Everyone else has been in and out, but he and Ann were here the most. They'd come into her room and sit for hours, just staring and thinking. Sometimes when he's falling asleep in the chair he can hear her voice telling him to quit staring at her because it's creeping her out, and it makes him laugh a little before he realizes where he is, and he falls back into a hole of worry about exhaustion and pain. So much pain.</p><p>"Oh, sorry, I can come in later," Ann says, sniffing.</p><p>"Don't worry about it, I'm sure she'd appreciate having both of us here with her."</p><p>Ann sits in the chair on the other side of Leslie, gripping her free hand tightly. "Do you ever just sit down and talk to her?" She whispers.</p><p>"All the time. Do you think she can hear us?"</p><p>"I know she can. But sometimes I wonder why if she does actually hear us, why won't she wake up? But I know that's not how it works."</p><p>"Knowing her, I'm sure she's trying her very hardest."</p><p>Ann makes a sound of agreement and her gaze turns back to Leslie, switching between soft and hard, and Ben knows exactly what she's thinking each time, because he's feeling the exact same feelings. When their facial expressions are soft, they're recalling old memories, ones where she laughs, or she smiles, or she does something truly amazing like usual. The hard ones are when reality comes back and they realize they're staring at a woman lying in a bed that she may not ever get up from, even though they shouldn't be thinking like that because its not good for any of them.</p><p>"Hey, Leslie," Ann whispers, stroking a blonde strand of hair. "We miss you. Ben and I miss you. It's really hard living without you being there to text me 20 times a day when I'm not around or give me a million hugs when you are. A part of me sometimes wonders if I'm even living at all, or if this is all a bizarre, cruel nightmare. But then I pinch myself and remember that it's not." Ann clears her throat, her eyes shifting to Ben briefly before she looks back to Leslie.</p><p>"You need to wake up because I can't do this without you," she says, her voice cracking. "Please."</p><p>Miraculously, Leslie's eyelids begin to flutter, and a moan escapes her lips before her eyes open.</p><p>"Ann? Is that you? Where am I, where am I, <em>where am I</em>?" Leslie asks between breaths, as if she had run 5 miles and was catching her breath.</p><p>Ben and Ann exchange looks as Leslie's gaze shifts over to him, her expression softening at his presence.</p><p>"I'll go alert the doctor," Ben says, exiting the room.</p><p>"Ann, where am I?" Leslie practically growls, sending a shooting pang of hurt into Ann's heart even though she knows aggression and disorientation are normal symptoms of waking up from a medically induced coma.</p><p>She channels her best nurse voice and whispers, "Leslie, you're in the hospital. You were in an accident, but you're going to be okay."</p><p>The words are meant to comfort Leslie, but Ann can't help but feel a little reassurance from them herself, knowing that she's Leslie Knope, and she <em>will</em> be okay.</p><p>They'll all be.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Like Fiona From Shrek</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Leslie and Ben in the early stages of pregnancy, with some added Ann and Chris.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Idk when I'll next be posting but I hope you enjoy</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leslie and Ben got out of the doctor’s office, and the first thing they did was pull each other in for a tight hug.<br/>
“Oh my god,” Ben whispered. “Three- <em>three </em>babies!”<br/>
“Three babies inside of me,” Leslie told him. “I hope they each have different vocal ranges, we could start a choir. You could be the sexy choir master…”<br/>
Ben had to grin. He was feeling stressed out about the babies- <em>incredibly </em>stressed- but he was also incredibly excited. It was almost like a beautiful, chaotic mix of the two emotions.<br/>
“Celebratory waffles?” Leslie asked.<br/>
Ben let out a quiet laugh. “Definitely.”</p><p>***</p><p>The next few days only proved to be incredibly hectic, going against Ben’s wishes. But when their stresses were resolved, and things were looking smoother, Leslie was right in to planning their future with the children.<br/>
“Do we need this many binders just for baby names?” Ben asked, a little nervously. Leslie was busy slurping on a “chocolate smoothie” she had created to satisfy her cravings- which was literally just a triple chocolate milkshake but with some strawberries blended in- but she looked up in surprise.<br/>
“I just-” Ben stuttered. “There are so many options! What if they grow up and hate their names, and resent us?”<br/>
“They could always change their names,” Leslie mused. “But that’s why I’ve ruled out my Mom’s name,” Leslie explained. “I’m sorry, but Marlene is <em>such</em> an outdated name. I mean, <em>Leslie </em>isn’t exactly modern, is it? You’re so lucky you’re called <em>Ben</em>. I wish I was called something else- hey, should I get my name changed too?”<br/>
“I like your name,” Ben told her. “It suits you. It’s really cute.”<br/>
Leslie smiled. “Well now I wish your name was Cute Butt, because that’s what suits you, sir.”<br/>
“<em>Sir</em>?” Ben asked. “Oh, yeah, you’re going to regret calling me that.”<br/>
Ben pulled her close and began to kiss her, and Leslie was certain she wouldn’t regret it at all.”</p><p>***</p><p>It was the next weekend when Ann came down. She hadn’t been given specifics, but she knew Leslie was really excited and, maybe it was because she was a mother now, but she had a gut feeling that Leslie was going to share some exciting news.<br/>
Ben and Chris were sat on the sofa, watching as Leslie squeezed Ann for a solid five minutes. When she finally released her, Leslie was a giddy mess.<br/>
“You guys!” Leslie exclaimed. “It is so good to see you. And Oliver too, oh, my godson is looking perfect.”<br/>
Oliver was currently asleep in Ben’s arms, and it only made Leslie even more excited to share her news. Seeing Ben with a baby… well, she could explode. Ann looked at her.<br/>
“What’s going on, Les? You’re…”<br/>
“<em>Extremely </em>excited,” Chris finished. Ann smiled at him.<br/>
“Yes, I would agree there,” Ann said, before looking back to Leslie, who was grinning.</p><p>“Well, guys…” Leslie took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant.”<br/>
Ann’s face lit up. “Leslie! Oh my god!”<br/>
Then the two women were hugging again, and then Chris was hurriedly putting Oliver in his carry cot and grabbing Ben, squeezing him tightly. Then Chris was hugging Leslie, and Ann was hugging Ben.<br/>
“Oh my god!” Ann repeated. “Do you know the sex?”<br/>
“No not yet and, well, that leads me on to the other thing,” Leslie said slowly, looking at Ben. “Ben?”<br/>
“We’re having triplets,” Ben finished, and Chris promptly burst into tears.<br/>
“I am <em>so thrilled for you guys</em>,” Chris sobbed. Ann looked at Leslie in amazement, and Leslie shrugged.<br/>
“You know what the Knope motto is. Never do things by halves. And in this case, there are four extra halves.”<br/>
“What?”<br/>
“<em>Three </em>babies, Ann! Inside of me!”<br/>
"Woah!" Ann exclaimed. "That's amazing!"<br/>
Leslie faltered. “Oh god. Three babies. Inside of me.”</p><p>Ben knew this mood. Leslie had been getting anxious the past few days as the amazing, crazy reality set in. He leant over and grabbed her hand.<br/>
“It’ll be fine,” Ben soothed. “You’re <em>Leslie Knope</em>.”<br/>
“Yeah,” Ann added. “If anyone can do it, you can.”<br/>
“I <em>totally agree.</em>”<br/>
Leslie was still for a second, before grinning. “You’re right. I can do anything. And I have binders to get me prepared and in the zone. I can do it.”<br/>
Ben and Ann looked at each other. Ann’s smile was radiant. “Yes! You can!”<br/>
“It’s going to be fine,” Leslie said, tapping each one of them on the knee as she spoke. “I have Ben Wyatt, my husband, and Ann Perkins, my beautiful best friend with me.”<br/>
“Yes, you do,” Ann replied, before grabbing Leslie’s hand and kissing it. “It’s going to be fine.”<br/>
The two women smiled at each other.<br/>
“And Chris of course,” Leslie added, looking at Chris. “Emotional support never felt so reachable.”</p><p>Leslie sighed happily, before shrugging again.<br/>
“I know I’m impressive, but I certainly didn’t plan on carrying three babies. I’m like…”<br/>
“Phoebe from <em>Friends</em>?” Ann suggested.<br/>
“I was going to say like Fiona from <em>Shrek</em>, but actually… Phoebe from <em>Friends</em> is a better comparison.”<br/>
Ben looked at her, confused. “We <em>literally </em>watched The One With The Embryos <em>last night</em>. You said you wanted something about fertility to get you in the zone.”<br/>
“I also know you guys watched that, because you sent me a picture of the episode. I guess I should have predicted today’s news, huh.”<br/>
“Maybe,” Leslie replied.”<br/>
Leslie and Ann grinned at each other, and then Ann was rubbing Leslie’s arm.<br/>
“You’re going to be amazing,” Ann reminded her. “I mean, you <em>have </em>binders.”<br/>
Leslie laughed. “I like to go through life being as prepared as I can be.”<br/>
“And we’re here,” Ben said softly. Leslie looked at him, and he grabbed her hand again. Her gorgeous husband, they were so happy together. There was no way it was going to go badly. She had so much love in her life, by so many people.<br/>
“I know,” she whispered. “These babies are going to be very loved.”<br/>
“By all of us,” Ann added.<br/>
Chris grinned. “And then Oliver has some cousins!”<br/>
That’s all it took for Leslie to shed happy tears.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>&lt;33</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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